HM Coastguard Fleetwood rescue adorable seal stranded on beach
An adorable seal stranded on a beach in Fleetwood was rescued by the coastguard.
Yesterday a young male, common seal was found stranded on the beach at Fleetwood by members of the public who alerted HM Coastguard Fleetwood who then sprung in to action to help rescue the frightened mammal.
A spokesperson for HM Coastguard Fleetwood said: “This does not really fall under HMCG's remit, but a couple of our CROs were contacted informally by a member of the public for advice on what to do.
“We helped to coordinate the appropriate response along with our coordinating centre at Holyhead, with British Divers Marine Life Rescue.”
They added: “The seal was assessed by a qualified marine mammal medic and was taken for rehabilitation.
“We'll follow his progress with interest. Although stranded, live, marine mammals do not fall under HM Coastguard's remit, we might be called to provide assist 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.”
What to do 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.
Coastal Emergency? Call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.