Seal pup is recovering after rescue at Collywell Bay

Jun 9 2009 by Sonia Sharma, The Journal

A BABY seal is being nursed back to health after being found ill on the North East coast.

Two seals were washed up in Tyneside over the weekend, one in Cullercoats and the other in Seaton Sluice.

The one at Cullercoats Bay, in North Tyneside, had died and its body was badly decomposed. The adult, measuring around 4ft to 5ft in length, was disposed of by the council.

The second seal, a six-month-old pup, was found at Collywell Bay, in Seaton Sluice, on Sunday evening.

The Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade was called to help in both cases. Richard Ilderton, area co-ordinator for the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), was called to Seaton Sluice and assessed the living mammal which was then taken to Blythman and Partners vets, in Gosforth, Newcastle.

A spokesman from the BDMLR said: “The pup was quite unwell. It was found to be lethargic, unresponsive and was shivering. It had mucus coming from its eyes and nose.

“It is now being looked after at a vets and is being given fluids and antibiotics. It is planned to send it for rehabilitation and when it gets better, it will be released back into the sea. But we don’t know how long that will take.”

Will Hogg, from the life brigade, said: “We don’t know how it (the other seal) died. It may be that it was injured at sea and did not survive. The second one at Seaton Sluice was alive and is being cared for. It is quite common to see seals washed up alongside beaches. Pups end up on shore because they can’t cope in bad weather. But sometimes they are just having a rest and go back out with the tide. They should not be approached by members of the public.”

The RSPCA says that in the winter, younger seals are often too thin and weak to stand the strong winds and tides.