This is the heartbreaking moment an orphaned baby seal became stranded in a field full of cows.
The five-day-old pup got separated from its mother and found itself lost in a creek near The Wash in Lincolnshire.
The cute animal is thought to have been trying to orientate itself when it got stuck in the muddy puddle in the middle of the herd.
This is the heartbreaking moment an orphaned baby seal became stranded in a field full of cows near The Wash in Lincolnshire
She was rescued after a birdwatcher spotted her from a nearby Royal Society for the Protection of Birds sanctuary.
Ian Ellis, from Boston, said he initially spotted the seal through his telescope.
The 67-year-old then helped pick the seal up alongside RSPB staff warden Toby Collett.
He said: ‘There are seals on the edge of the marsh but it was the way the cows were so inquisitive that made me look.
‘Mr Collett picked up the seal and I put it in my coat and carried it to the car park all the way down the sea bank to be rescued.’
Richard Yeadon, Natureland director, said he thought the seal became stranded when the tide went out.
The cute animal, pictured after it was rescued, is thought to have been trying to orientate itself when it got stuck in the muddy puddle in the middle of the herd
Ian Ellis, from Boston, said he spotted the seal through his telescope. The 67-year-old helped rescue it by wrapping the animal in his coat
He added: ‘Cows are quite inquisitive so they were pushing her around a bit, so she wasn’t hurt at all.
‘Once we got her back to Natureland she went straight into the Seal Hospital to begin treatment.
‘Her main problem is that at only five days old she was orphaned and therefore had not fed for a while. She had lost quite a lot of weight and was dehydrated.
‘We gave her rehydration fluid through a stomach tube and are now giving her high fat herrings, which will help her gain back the weight.’
The seal, which has been named ‘Celebration’ to mark Natureland’s 50th anniversary, looks like she is going to pull through
The seal, which has been named ‘Celebration’ to mark Natureland’s 50th anniversary, initially didn’t look like she was going to recover.
But Mr Yeadon added: ‘She is on antibiotics now and is on the mend. We will be monitoring her very closely over the next couple of days, but we’re hopeful she’s going to pull through.
‘Once she is stronger, she will continue through the rehabilitation process until she is 60-70lb and is able to feed in the water by herself. We will then release her back to the wild.’
