'Dehydrated underweight' seal pup rescued from beach

A "badly dehydrated, underweight and abandoned" baby seal has been rescued from a Lancashire beach.

It was found stranded on Fleetwood beach on Saturday morning, the coastguard said.

The person who found the pup "did absolutely the right thing" by contacting the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), a charity that responds to stranded, injured or trapped marine animals, the coastguard said.

Marine mammal medics took it to a specialist centre for rehabilitation before it will be re-released.

Intervention "is always a last resort and must only be done by suitably trained medics", the coastguard said.

It said marine mammals often strand for a reason, for example if they are sick, injured, or disoriented, and "a professional medic needs to assess the animal's health and determine the best course of action".

If people find a live stranded mammal, the coastguard advised calling the BDMLR, and keeping a distance from the animal to avoid causing further stress as well as protecting yourself from potential injury or disease.

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