Baby Seal Rescued By Cows After Being Separated From Its Mother [Watch]
A baby seal was rescued from a field in Lincolnshire, England, by a herd of cows. The seal pup is believed to have wandered, or perhaps waddled, into the pasture from a nearby creek. Ian Ellis, a birdwatcher looking through his telescope, noticed the cows huddled around something on the ground and went in closer to investigate.
The female baby seal and the cows were staring at each other at the Frampton Marshes area field.
https://youtu.be/xef8SJoAln0
“It was the way the cows were so inquisitive that made me look,” Ellis said.
The seal pup was determined to be about 5-days-old and was likely lost from its mother, Natureland Seal Sanctuary staffers note. Workers at the reserve instructed Ellis on how to safely move the seal, and said they would be by soon to collect the young animal.
The herd of 30 cows were “gently nudging” the baby seal while investigating the unusual visitor, but did not cause the pup any harm.
“We think she got separated from mum and got caught in the tide and then became stranded when the tide went back out again,” Richard Yeadon, Natureland director, said. “Cows are quite inquisitive so they were pushing her around a bit, so she wasn’t hurt at all. Once we got her back to Natureland, she went straight into the Seal Hospital to begin treatment.”
The primary problem with the baby seal rescued by cows was the young age of the orphan. The pup had lost a lot of weight and was dehydrated — likely from not nursing for an extended period of time.
“We gave her rehydration fluid through a stomach tube and are now giving her high fat herrings which will help her gain back the weight,” Yeardon added. Natureland has aided in the rehabilitation of more than 700 seals since the organization was founded.
The baby seal rescued by cows has been named “Celebration.” The name was chosen to honor of Skegness Natureland’s 50th anniversary. The harbor seal will reportedly be released back into the wild when she is able to feed herself in the water and weighs about 70 pounds.
[Image via Twitter]
