A sick seal with wounds to his nose at Camber Sands has been rescued by an RSPCA officer and his off-duty colleague.
The charity said the animal is now being cared for at Mallydams Wildlife Centre in Hastings.
The seal was found on the beach with blood on his face and flippers by Camber Sands' Beach Patrol on April 10.
On recommendation of the RSPCA, they monitored the Common seal for 24 hours the next day.
When he had not moved from his original position on the sand, an RSPCA rescuer went to the location to assess the seal’s condition.
RSPCA Animal Rescue Officer Brian Milligan said:
“When I arrived at Camber Sands, I was surprised and delighted to spot my off-duty colleague, Inspector Dave Grant, who completely coincidentally was on a walk on the beach with a friend. He had also spotted the seal and I explained that Beach Patrol had reported that the animal hadn’t moved for 24 hours.
“I knew there was something not quite right. When we approached him, he hardly reacted; that’s unusual for a seal. It was great to have Dave there to help with the rescue. We used a specially-designed stretcher and because the poor seal was so ill, it was relatively straight-forward to contain him and move him into my van.
“I took him straight to our Mallydams Wildlife Centre in Hastings for assessment and treatment. It is likely the young one year-old male is suffering from lung-worm, so he has been treated with antibiotics and pain relief. He has been named ‘Hubble’, and we are very much hoping that he recovers from his illness and puts on enough weight to be released back into the wild.
“Our thanks go to Camber Sands’ Beach Patroller Skye Brockhurst for calling the incident in and monitoring Hubble.”
Not all seals seen along the coastline are in need of rescue and the public are urged to keep themselves and their dogs well away for their own safety as well as the seal’s.
The RSPCA advises that if there are concerns for a seal but no obvious signs of injury, it should be observed from a distance for 24 hours.
If it hasn’t moved on after a day, or if there are obvious signs of injury, then please call the RSPCA’s emergency line on 0300 1234 999 to report the incident.
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