Dog lead turns lifeline: Rebecca’s remarkable seal pup rescue

Published on 24/11/2012 00:13

WHEN a seal pup was spotted trapped in the boulders of new sea defences in the Western Isles, above, the coastguard was called to the rescue.

But after attending the scene, at Stinky Bay in Benbecula, late on Thursday, the trapped grey seal pup had to be left overnight. However, early yesterday dog lover Rebecca Cotton, left, manager of the RSPB-led Conserving Machair Life + project and a volunteer with the rescue team, managed to get her dog’s lead around the seal’s body, and hauled it to safety. She said: “It was stuck in a hole and very thin. I made a noose of the dog lead and put it around its body and just pulled it out. If that had not worked the only alternative was to get a crane to lift off the boulders.”