HM Coastguard Fleetwood come to the rescue of adorable grey seal stranded on beach
HM Coastguard Fleetwood came to the rescue once again to a helpless animal - this time a young female grey seal.
On Saturday the helpless seal was found stranded on Fleetwood Beach.
The seal was assessed and found to be quite badly dehydrated and unwell, so after consultation it was decided to capture the animal and take her to a specialist centre for treatment and rehabilitation, in order to re-release.
A spokesperson for Coastguard Fleetwood said: “As many are already aware this does not really fall under HMCG's remit and the first informant did absolutely the right thing by contacting British Divers Marine Life Rescue.
“Two local marine mammal medics attended, including Aimee, who is also lifeboat crew and partner of one of our own team, so they had an extra pair of hands.”
They added: “Intervention is always a last resort and must only be done by suitably trained medics. Thanks to the beach Fishermen who lent a hand too.
“Although stranded, live, marine mammals do not fall under HM Coastguard's remit, we might be called to provide assistance if there is risk to human safety. This is not to be confused with our response to dead cetaceans where we do have a remit to attend, take measurements and report on the finding.”
They issued the following advice:
If you find a live stranded Marine Mammal - call British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR). This is the primary organization for live marine mammal rescues in the UK.
Their national hotline is 01825 765546.
Do not approach the animal too closely. Keep your distance to avoid causing further stress to the animal and to protect yourself from potential injury or disease.
Keep people and dogs away. This is crucial to prevent further distress to the animal.
Do not try to push the animal back into the sea. Marine mammals often strand for a reason (e.g., they are sick, injured, or disoriented), and a professional medic needs to assess the animal's health and determine the best course of action.