British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR)
Rescuing a trapped and terrified animal is usually a delicate operation that calls for great care, patience and above all a gentle approach.
But when a seal pup got stuck among the boulders of the rock armour around an island ferry terminal, there was no choice but to bring in a JCB.
The animal was trapped in boulders by a ferry terminal at Rapness Pier, on Westray, Orkney on Saturday.
But with the help of salmon aquaculture company Cooke Scotland staff, British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) and HM Coastguard providing safety cover, it was safely rescued.
A local spokesman for BDMLR said: ‘On arrival, the seal was found wedged tightly between large boulders, deep in the armour and only just within reach.
'With the bitey end facing upwards, it wasn’t possible to safely restrain the seal to begin work. A plan was quickly hatched to remove one of the surrounding boulders to improve access.
‘A massive thank you to Cooke Scotland for lending us both a team member and a loadall, we genuinely couldn’t have done this without you.
‘Once the boulder was removed, medics were able to safely restrain the seal, place it into a makeshift stretcher, and carefully move it down to the shore.
‘The seal was then successfully released back into the sea where it belongs.
‘Huge thanks to everyone involved for the teamwork, problem-solving, and support that made this rescue possible.’
Meanwhile, another grey seal pup got stuck on Sanday, Orkney.
BDMLR operations director Julia Cable said: ‘It quickly turned into a test of muscle power for our medics when a large seal was found wedged beneath rock armour at a ferry terminal, with no ability to get out of the hole.
After several hours of digging and working around the rock, with some ingenuity the team managed to free him — even breaking a shovel along the way.
‘Following a quick health assessment and a burst of impatience, the feisty, plump pup was released back into the wild, no worse for his ordeal, and was soon seen joining the onlooking seals
‘Teamwork, persistence, and a great outcome.’
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