Four harbour seals rescued as premature pups are getting a second chance in the wild after being successfully rehabilitated.

On Friday, the four marine mammals – Bubbles, Ziggy, Sinbad and Siberia – were released into Porteau Cove.

Their return to Howe Sound was an emotional one for the frontline workers tasked with taking care and treating sick and severely injured animals.

“I just really hope the best for them,” said volunteer Danielle Vasicek. “I honestly hope they do well out there.”

Although they are now well enough to be released, researchers from Marine Mammal Rescue Centre will continue to track their progress. Each pup is outfitted with a satellite-enabled tracking device designed to fall off within a year.

“That's for us really to figure out how they do after release… to see how successful they are and if they're not as successful as we think they should be what could we have done to make things better for them,” said Dr. Martin Haulena.

The Vancouver Aquarium has treated more than 160 marine mammals in need so far this year.

Haulena attributes some of the cases to the fact many marine mammals in B.C. are born in busy harbours and beaches.

“There's a lot of people. There are a lot of seals. When those two populations mix sometime sometimes the outcome isn't that great for the seals,” he said.