Injured seal stranded on Bexhill beach on the mend

A seal is being cared for by the RSPCA until it gets back to full health after being found hurt on Bexhill beach.
By The Newsroom
Published 12th Jan 2017, 14:42 BST
Updated 7th Jun 2018, 22:10 BST

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The seal stranded on Bexhill beach is being cared for at RSPCA Mallydam's Wood wildlife centre. Photo courtesy of the RSPCAThe seal stranded on Bexhill beach is being cared for at RSPCA Mallydam's Wood wildlife centre. Photo courtesy of the RSPCA
The seal stranded on Bexhill beach is being cared for at RSPCA Mallydam's Wood wildlife centre. Photo courtesy of the RSPCA

The common seal was found near the shoreline next to the old bathing hut with cuts to his flipper on Thursday, January 5.

He was taken to Mallydams Wood wildlife centre for treatment where they discovered he had lungworm and would need to stay there until he fully recovered.

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“Unfortunately the seal is suffering from lungworm and has various cuts on his body so needs some time to recover and recuperate,” an RSPCA spokesman said.

The common seal on Bexhill beach. Photo by John Lenzan SUS-171201-135510001The common seal on Bexhill beach. Photo by John Lenzan SUS-171201-135510001
The common seal on Bexhill beach. Photo by John Lenzan SUS-171201-135510001

“He is having trouble feeding too so staff at the centre are assisting him with this by tube-feeding him.

“Once the lungworm has cleared up, he is all better and has reached a good weight we will release him back in to the wild.”

The spokesman said the seal, though to be one of the pups from summer 2016, had started self-feeding again yesterday morning (Thursday, January 12), much to their delight.

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Carole Green, Bexhill Festival of the Sea organiser and Mallydams volunteer, called the RSPCA when she saw the seal on the beach as she could tell all was not well.

The seal at Mallydams Wood wildlife centre after being rescued from Bexhill beach. Photo by Carole Green SUS-171201-141910001The seal at Mallydams Wood wildlife centre after being rescued from Bexhill beach. Photo by Carole Green SUS-171201-141910001
The seal at Mallydams Wood wildlife centre after being rescued from Bexhill beach. Photo by Carole Green SUS-171201-141910001

“A couple was standing there looking at him and as the tide was coming in I observed him for a little while as sometimes seals come out onto the beach for a sunbathe but he was really breathing heavily and wasn’t using one of his flippers,” she said.

“So I phoned one of the collectors at the RSPCA, Claire Thomas, she knows everything about seals and has worked at Mallydams for 10 years, and luckily she was on duty so she came straight out.

“He was bleeding from one of the flippers and heavily breathing so Claire and my husband got one of the crates for seals and sat on him, which is what you’re supposed to do, so Claire could check his teeth and mouth, before putting him in the crate to take to Mallydams.

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Carole added the people of Bexhill were ‘fantastic’ as they made sure dog walkers kept a safe distance away as to not scare the seal.

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