A seal which washed ashore on the beaches of Bermuda is to be released back to the wild.

After five months of rehabilitation, Hamilton the seal will be set free in the waters off Delaware Seashore State Park in the US tomorrow.

The young Atlantic Harbour Seal first washed up on the shores of Bermuda in February, after being swept hundreds of miles on currents from the north-eastern seaboard.

He was found on a beach at Ariel Sands, emaciated and with a deep cut to his neck caused by a fishing line.

The young male was only the fourth stranded seal to be recorded in Bermuda in the last 150 years.

His chances of survival were slim, as only one in ten stranded seals make it.

But under the care and attention of staff at the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo, the young male began to thrive and doubled in weight, to 110 lbs.

Six weeks later he was returned to the US, courtesy of FedEx.

The young seal was airlifted in a cargo plane to Newark, New Jersey, on March 24 accompanied by a vet from the National Aquarium in Baltimore.

From there, a rescue crew drove him more than 100 miles to the National Aquarium where he underwent further medical care and rehabilitation.

Staff have recently run a contest to name the seal, who will be satellite tagged on his release.

Stranding coordinator Jennifer Dittmar said: "We took some name suggestions from our volunteers for staff to vote on and also sent them down to Dr. Ian Walker and his staff in Bermuda.

"They included Hamilton, George after St. George's and also Curious George, and Loki, after the Norse god who loved to cause trouble."

Miss Dittmar said: "He's been really good and has lots of personality. He is very curious and we've been finding new ways of feeding him, with different types of devices.

"We've been placing fish in different types of PVC tubes and have also made him fish popsicles he really enjoys those. It's all to keep him engaged."

She said the seal also likes playing with a basketball and a pink sled, which he jumps on in his pool.

"He's very interactive and has lots of energy. He's feeling much better and now weighs 139 lbs," said Miss Dittmar.

"He is definitely ready to be released back into the wild and on Thursday morning we will release him off a beach right into the Atlantic."

Dr. Walker, BAMZ acting principal curator, said he and his staff were excited about the seal's return to the wild.

"It's a great end to the story," he said. "It's fantastic he is able to return to the wild and that all that hard work was worthwhile.

"We are very happy to have played a role in this, and I would like to thank the National Aquarium in Baltimore for continuing his rehabilitation and getting him to his final stage of release."