After ten years in the care of the Baltic Seal Friends Foundation, Kroshik the ringed seal swam into Lake Ladoga and is now exploring it without human help. He had previously been released twice, but returned to people both times. Kroshik has now reached Volkhov Bay, while specialists continue to monitor how he adapts to life on his own.
Ten years in the foundation’s care
Kroshik arrived at a seal rehabilitation center in St. Petersburg as a pup. In the spring of 2016, a fisherman found the frostbitten, emaciated seal pup on the shore of Lake Ladoga; at the time, the animal weighed 4 kilograms. After being rescued, the seal spent ten years in the foundation’s care.
His long life alongside people was an important backdrop to this release: returning to the wild required a gradual adjustment. Kroshik had already been released twice, but returned both times. This time, what is different is that he did not simply leave the release site but continued moving across Lake Ladoga.
Earlier attempts did not take hold
Kroshik was previously released alongside another seal, Shlissik. However, both seals eventually returned to their home base from Lake Ladoga, and the adaptation plan had to be revised. Their return showed that a release does not guarantee an immediate transition to life on their own.
On a later expedition, specialists again prepared Shlissik and Kroshik for life in the wild. According to the foundation’s founders, Vyacheslav Alekseev and Elena Andrievskaya, Shlissik arrived at the base in Repino, while Kroshik was already behaving like a wild seal. The two animals had different outcomes: one was still adapting, while the other encountered difficulties.
Why Shlissik’s release was postponed
Strong waves affected Shlissik’s adaptation: the animal was stressed and showed no readiness to leave for the wild. The foundation’s founders clarified that they do not consider the seal unsuitable for release, but decided to postpone it for now. This decision applies specifically to Shlissik, not to Kroshik’s current movements on his own.
Conditions on the water complicated the expedition. Specialists had to secure the heavy platform again, and constant rocking shortened Shlissik’s outings. In the end, the team decided to return home. The episode shows that preparing animals for release depends not only on their behavior but also on whether it is possible to work safely in the conditions at hand.
Kroshik reaches Volkhov Bay
After his release, Kroshik continued exploring Lake Ladoga without human help and reached Volkhov Bay. This is a concrete sign that he is moving beyond the release site. At the same time, the report of his route does not establish that his adaptation is complete or allow conclusions to be drawn about the seal’s future.
Kroshik’s story brings together two stages: the rescue of an emaciated 4-kilogram pup in 2016 and his independent exploration of the lake ten years later. For the foundation and specialists, this is an opportunity to observe how an animal that lived in human care for a long time transitions to life in the wild. Against the backdrop of two earlier returns, his progress toward Volkhov Bay is particularly notable.
What is known about his further adaptation
According to confirmed information, Kroshik is now in Lake Ladoga and is managing without human help. His movement toward Volkhov Bay was reported separately. The available material contains no details about how long monitoring will last, the exact release site, or the next stages of follow-up.
Shlissik’s experience highlights why the animals’ paths cannot be reduced to a single scenario: strong waves and stress led to his release being postponed, while Kroshik continued exploring the lake. For specialists, the seal’s actual behavior and conditions on the water matter—not just the moment the way to freedom is opened.
Key takeaway: After ten years in human care, Kroshik left for Lake Ladoga and reached Volkhov Bay.
Sources
- fontanka.ru — “Two more seals released into Lake Ladoga. Kroshik”
- threads.com — “Shlissik also refused to leave people, he”
- rk.karelia.ru — “seal — Republic News Agency”
- petrograd.ru — “Kroshik found himself in a dangerous area of Lake Ladoga during”
- paperpaper.io — “We followed Kroshik’s story for ten years. Now he”
