An adult seal has had to be put down after being found in Broughty Ferry.
A large crowd gathered on Beach Crescent last night to watch as animal rescue officers from the Scottish SPCA and the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) service attempted to retrieve the animal.
It was eventually collected and moved away from the scene at about 9pm.
Tragically, the female seal had to be put to sleep after it was found to be showing signs of starvation and was under half the weight it should have been.
Paul Smith, area co-ordinator for the BDMLR, was involved in the seal’s recovery and said it was in a bad way when he arrived.
He said: “The seal was very tired and there were obvious signs of starvation. It had no blubber on it and its skeleton was showing through.
“The seal was 5ft and weighed 72kg. A healthy seal of that size should be about 180kg – so it was drastically underweight.”
What caused the seal to be in such a condition remains unknown at this time.
Paul said: “The animal had just hulled up on the steps resting due to its condition. We won’t know the cause of death until a post-mortem is carried out.”
He added: “We’d just like to remind the public that if they come across a stranded, seal, whale or dolphin – do not approach it.
“Seals can give a very nasty bite. Should anyone find an animal that may be abandoned, thin or ill, then call 01825 765546.”
SSPCA’s animal rescue officer Coreen Hill said: “A huge crowd had gathered around the adult female grey seal, which was extremely distressed.
“As the seal was so large, I called BDMLR for assistance and we worked together to safely move the seal into a large container before it was transported to our National Wildlife Rescue Centre in Fishcross.
“Sadly the seal was in such poor condition it could not be saved and had to be put to sleep to end its suffering.
“Anyone who comes across an injured or distressed seal should contact our animal helpline on 03000 999 999.”
