Yoda the seal is recovering after being hit on a Cape Breton highway

Yoda — named for eyes so big you could swim in them — has come a long way since he climbed onto a Cape Breton highway and was hit by a car.

The wee seal pup squirms and splashes in his own Jacuzzi tub at Hope for Wildlife rescue centre outside Halifax, popping his head up for a quick spray to cool down.

"He's doing really, really well," the centre's founder, Hope Swinimer says. "He's eating up a storm so that's good news and, as luck would have it, no broken bones."

Little Yoda hopped onto a two-lane highway on Jan. 27 and, although some passersby urged him back into the water, he climbed out a second time and was hit. He injured his eye, Swinimer says.

An RCMP officer brought the hooded seal to the Canso Causeway where Hope for Wildlife's team met the pair and took over Yoda's care.

The seal's optical ulcer has begun to heal thanks to medication, a steady diet of fish for the undernourished pup, and plenty of attention.

While the RCMP have picked up wayward seals before, Swinimer said it's unusual for the wildlife centre to see a hooded seal like Yoda.

Found malnourished and lethargic

She said the animal was likely born last year, but was found thin and lethargic.

But he's certainly perked up — he can flip 180 degrees in barely a second when he catches sight of a fish in an outstretched hand.

Staff hope to return Yoda to the wild in about a week if he continues to make progress, but Swinimer says she's not sure if they'll release him into local waters on Nova Scotia's Eastern Shore or back in Sydney.