Seal with neck wound rescued by West Norfolk charity team
A grey seal suffering a ‘horrendous’ injury after becoming trapped in discarded fishing netting is now fighting for his life.
The young adult male, who is being cared for at the RSPCA’s East Winch Wildlife Centre, was rescued by the Friends of Horsey Seals on Monday.
The charity group found the grey seal with 10 feet of discarded fishing netting wrapped around his neck.
Manager at RSPCA East Winch Wildlife Centre, Alison Charles said: “This is a horrendous injury and the poor seal has been fighting for his life. He’s extremely emaciated, probably half the weight he should be.
“When he arrived here, he was exhausted and wouldn’t move. We didn’t think he would make it through the night.”
Seals admitted to the centre are given names, and this year staff are selecting names related to Indian takeaways, with their latest admission now called, Downham Tandoori.
She added: “When we removed the multifilament nylon netting wrapped tight around his neck, we could see he had an extensive, infected flesh wound ringing three quarters of his neck.
“Once our vet had removed the netting, she put him on a course of antibiotics and pain relief and happily, it seems he may now have turned a corner. He has even started eating again, though we’re taking it one step at a time.”
“We will float him in a salt bath each day to bathe his neck and if anyone wants to help with his care, we would really welcome more salt from our Amazon wish list. Our thanks go to Friends of Horsey Seals for finding and rescuing this animal.”
If you see any animal in distress, call 0300 1234 999.