Rescue launched after rough sea leads to rare appearance by seal on Llandudno prom – Daily Post

An injured seal pup which washed up on Llandudno promenade has been rescued.

The baby seal, which had injuries to its flipper, is believed to have been thrown on to the shore by strong waves.

It is thought the pup came ashore at around 1pm before being rescued by the RSPCA at 4pm.

The seal will now be transferred to RSPCA Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre to be treated.

Paul Board, 61, who volunteers for North Wales Wildlife Trust, spotted Facebook posts about the seal and went to the prom to see if he could be of any assistance.

He said: "I came along after seeing various posts on Facebook about the seal, so I thought I better take a look.

"It's a common seal - also known as a harbour seal - but it's not all that common for round here.

"It didn't look too distressed. I think it's just washed up with it being high seas.

"I didn't see any injury myself, but others said that, when it rolled over, they saw an injury to its flipper.

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"I didn't want to touch it to check as I didn't want to distress it any further, but from what I saw it didn't appear badly injured."

Mr Board said that members of the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) were called to assist but were stood down.

Following phone calls from the public regarding the seal, the Coastguard said they were unable to rescue it as they are "not equipped or trained to deal with wildlife", and will not attend incidents involving wildlife unless human life is at risk.

The advice usually given by the BDMLR when a seal washes up is to monitor it from a distance and avoid approaching the animal.

An RSPCA spokesperson said: RSPCA Cymru would like to thank those who alerted us to this seal.

The seal has been collected by an RSPCA officer and is due to be transferred to RSPCA Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre.

"The seal has a couple of injuries to its flippers but appears to be in a good condition.

The officer was aware that well-meaning members of the public had wanted to move the seal.

"However, the RSPCA urges members of the public not to chase or move seals found on the beach into the water as this often does more harm than good.

Ideally, lone seal pups looking fit and healthy should be monitored from a safe distance for 24 hours.

Please always stay at a safe distance and keep dogs well away - seals can have a very nasty bite."

If you see a seal that may be abandoned, thin or ill, call the BDMLR for advice and assistance on 01825 765546 or 07787 433412.

Alternatively, get in touch with the RSPCA on 0300 1234 999.

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Rescue launched after rough sea leads to rare appearance by seal on Llandudno prom - Daily Post