We received an urgent call last night (Wednesday 29 May) to a thin, juvenile Grey seal that was found on a beach in Kent with a severe monofilament entanglement deeply embedded around her neck, with significant swelling around the head.
The quick thinking member of the public stayed to protect the seal from dogs and provided updates on the seal’s condition. Medics arrived swiftly with specialist equipment where they were able to assess and carefully capture the seal, loading into a crate for transport while minimising stress as the utmost priority.
She was transported to South Essex Wildlife Hospital (SEWH) for urgent treatment to debride and examine the wound. Despite every effort, we received the devastating news this morning that the seal had passed away. The entanglement wound was over 2″ deep, with extensive infection throughout the wound, head and jaw.
Our deepest thanks go to the compassionate member of the public who called us for help, to our fast-responding Marine Mammal Medics, and to SEWH for their tireless dedication in helping wildlife.
Although this wasn’t the outcome we had hoped for, thankfully this poor seal passed in the care of professionals trying their best to save her and is no longer suffering.