By saving the phone number, animal lovers could help wildlife medics during an emergency
Animal lovers in the UK could help to save seals, dolphins, and whales by adding a phone number to their contacts book. For many people who live by the coast, spotting marine mammals is a common occurrence. However, not everyone knows what to do if they encounter an animal in distress.
It’s a problem that I encountered just a few days ago, when a seal pup was found alone and vulnerable on my local beach on Christmas morning. Thankfully, volunteer medics from British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) attended the scene and rescued the pup.
According to the marine-mammal rescue charity, seal call-outs take up the main portion of their work, and calls are especially common at this time of year, as young grey seal pups can struggle with storms, injury, disturbance or poor condition.
The charity also responds to reports of dolphins, whales, porpoises, and turtles, with medics rescuing animals in all seasons around the UK. If members of the public find a seal, (BDMLR) says it’s important to:
- Keep people and dogs well back (at least 100m where possible)
- Do not approach, feed, touch, chase, kick or try to move the animal
- Take photos from a distance if safe to do so
- Call the 24-hour BDMLR hotline on 01825 765546 with the location and a description
The charity states that not all seals require intervention – many are simply resting. However, reporting concerns allows trained medics to assess the situation and step in when needed.
I was really impressed when I saw the BDMLR medics in action on Christmas Day. My family and I were walking along the seafront in Ramsgate, Kent, when a dog walker came running over and asked if we could call for help. She’d found a seal pup, but had left her phone at home, and it looked like the animal was in trouble.
The listless pup was right up the beach, far from the shore, and there were lots of dogs off their leads, running along the sand. A group of strangers formed, shielding the seal from the dogs, and we started ringing around charities, trying to find someone who would answer the phone on Christmas Day. Fortunately, someone knew to alert BDMLR, and the medics soon arrived, telling us they’d already been called out once that morning but had struggled to find the seal.
Because of their efforts, the story had a happy ending. Sharing an update with Wales Online, BDMLR said: “The pup was underweight and in need of care, so once uplifted and assessed by our Medics, the pup was relayed across to RSPCA Mallydams, where they’ll receive treatment and learning how to feed before being back to the wild once they’re healthy and at a good weight.”
RSPCA Mallydams Wood Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Centre has also shared updates on its Facebook page. A recent post about the pup reads: “John Bishop was a Christmas day rescue by the fantastic team at @bdmlr_uk after being found alone, vulnerable and weak on the beach.
“Extremely underweight and dehydrated, she required lots of fluid therapy and assist feeds and today thanks to the efforts of our talented seal handler, Callum who encouraged some self feeding… got little Bishop to start eating! Our fingers are crossed for a speedy rehab process now so John can get back out to the open ocean to live a free and happy life.”
