Humber RNLI assists British Divers Marine Life Rescue Team to free seal pup
On Thursday 18 February late afternoon, RNLI Humber Lifeboat Station was contacted by HM Coastguard and requested to assist the British Divers Marine Life Rescue, to a shore side incident involving an entangled 23kg young male grey seal on Spurn Point.
The seal was at the southern most tip of Spurn Point, approximately three miles from the nearest vehicle access, and had a mass of thin orange netting around his neck and both front flippers, it was also resting in the middle of sharp 1ft high metal spikes, part of the old military defences at Spurn.
As the stressed seal pup tried to exit the spikes, he rolled himself around and became trapped tighter in the netting, restricting his breathing.
With care the pup was secured and with the assistance of the RNLI Humber lifeboat crew lighting up the area, the medics managed to free the seal from the sharp spikes and get him positioned safely to examine the entanglement.
The netting had only cut through the skin and there was no significant blubber or muscle damage.
With the net cut away and the wounds cleaned and treated by the marine mammal medics, the seal was quickly on his way back out to sea. All this was carried out under the watchful eye of another young seal which had appeared next to the RNLI Crew, curious about the disturbance on an otherwise dark patch of beach.
British Divers Marine Life Rescue have thanked RNLI Humber lifeboat crew, as without their assistance, they would not have been able to attempt the rescue, and the pup may not have been found again.
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The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
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