A seal pup has been rescued after being found making is way up Stonehaven’s High Street.
Vet Emma Thomson took the pup, believed to be a male, away to safety after it was discovered at about 7.50am today.
The youngster – who was spotted “bopping about” yesterday but successfully ushered back towards the beach – will now be taken to the Scottish SPCA’s national wildlife rescue centre in Clackmannanshire.
Mrs Thomson, from Kirktown Veterinary Centre, told The Press and Journal the pup “is doing all right”.
The team have given him some electrolytes to rehydrate him as he is dehydrated, malnourished and very thin.
Staff from the Scottish SPCA or the British Divers Marine Life Rescue will collect him and take him to the wildlife rescue centre to be rehabilitated with other young seals.
‘We hoped that his mum would come and find him or he’d just swim off’
It was last night that the seal pup was brought to Mrs Thomson’s attention.
“He was bopping about last night and we managed to sort of encourage him back onto the beach. We hoped that his mum would come and find him or he’d just swim off, but then this morning he was back in the middle of the road heading into town again,” Mrs Thomson said.
This was the first seal that she has had to rescue from the middle of the road.
The vet added: “We don’t get many. I think most of our seals round here are pretty resilient and pretty healthy.”
Although it is natural for people to want to help a baby seal or seal, especially if it is on the middle of a road, Mrs Thomson warned that they have very strong jaws and sharp teeth and nasty marine bacteria in their mouth.
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