Barnabus the seal released back into the sea after being rescued by MP Emma Lewell-Buck
The Member of Parliament for South Shields, Emma Lewell-Buck, lead the rescue efforts for the seal on Littlehaven Beach back in August and it has resulted in good news.
Emma Lewell-Buck spotted the injured seal on Tuesday, August 4 while she was out walking on Littlehaven Beach in South Shields.
It resulted in her spending hours with the mammal, where she helped to keep members of the public back until the experts arrived.
Due to her efforts, the Shields MP got the right to name the seal Barnabus and he was taken to Tynemouth Seal Hospital by the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) with a badly injured fin.
At the time of the incident, Mrs Lewell-Buck commented: “I’ve been here for hours and I feel like I’m watching it die. It’s breathing has accelerated and it’s really horrible.
"It looks like it’s got a broken fin, so we’re making sure no one gets too close.”
Initially it appeared to have gone from bad to worse, as Emma provided an update a day later (August 5) saying that the seal was “very unwell”.
However, it has turned out to be good news and on Sunday (October 25), Barnabus was released back into the sea along with two other seals, after he successfully recovered from his ordeal.
The MP tweeted: “Emotional today as Barnabus left the seal hospital. Here he is first in there, leading the way waiting for his friends Ozzy and Tarquin. Enjoy being back in your real home Barnabus.”