Rarely seen footage has captured the heartwarming moment a mother seal gives birth to a pup on a British beach.

The expectant grey seal is seen rocking back and forth in labor before the calf is born just minutes later in Lincolnshire on December 7.

As soon as the pup is born, the mother gently turns round to nuzzle it, helping the pair to bond through a scent so as not to get separated from one another.

The special moment was filmed by Christine Newell at the Donna Nook nature reserve in Lincs., where more than 2,000 pups are born each year.

Christine, 57, said “when we saw her we knew straight away that she was in labor as you could see the contractions.

“After the pup was born she turned round and nuzzled it to share her scent with the newborn, it is something that I will never forget and it was such a privilege to see.

“It was so cold and when the pup was born you could see the steam rising from its body.

“But the seals are so used to it, and even get into the water to ‘cool down’ because they are so used to the freezing waters.”

Christine, from Sheffield, shared the rarely captured footage on social media, where viewers were quick to share their awe at the sighting.

Grey seals can reach up to 11 feet in length and weigh as much as 680 pounds.

Pups have soft silky white fur which they keep for around a month before swapping it for denser, more waterproof adult fur as they enter the sea to learn to fish for themselves.

The marine mammals can live for up to 40 years, and return to Donna Nook every year to give birth between September to December.

The 10-kilometer nature reserve is a haven for the creatures, and Britain is currently home to around 40 percent of the world’s entire grey seal population.

Rarely seen footage has captured the heartwarming moment a mother seal gives birth to a pup on a British beach.

The expectant grey seal is seen rocking back-and-forth in labour before the calf is born just minutes later.

As soon as the pup is born, the mother gently turns round to nuzzle it, helping the pair to bond through scent so as not to get separated from one another.

The special moment was filmed by Christine Newell at the Donna Nook nature reserve in Lincs., where more than 2,000 pups are born each year.

Christine, 57, said: “When we saw her we knew straight away that she was in labour as you could see the contractions.

“After the pup was born she turned round and nuzzled it to share her scent with the newborn, it is something that I will never forget and it was such a privilege to see.

“It was so cold and when the pup was born you could see the steam rising from its body.

“But the seals are so used to it, and even get into the water to ‘cool down’ because they are so used to the freezing waters.”

Christine, from Sheffield, shared the rarely captured footage on social media, where viewers were quick to share their awe at the sighting.

Grey seals can reach up to 11ft in length and weigh as much as 680lb.

Pups have soft silky white furt which they keep for around a month before swapping it for denser, more waterproof adult fur as they enter the sea to learn to fish for themselves.

The marine mammals can live for up to 40 years, and return to Donna Nook every year to give birth between September to December.

The 10km nature reserve is a haven for the creatures, and Britain is currently home to around 40 per cent of the world’s entire grey seal population.

ENDS