I helped to save Sandy the seal pup after finding her exhausted and stranded on the beach
“I helped to rescue a seal pup who had become exhausted and severely dehydrated after losing its mother”
The words of Debbie Hutton who discovered ‘Sandy’ the seal pup stranded on Roker Beach on Boxing Day.
Debbie, who lives in South Shields, said: “I was at Roker Beach on Boxing Day morning to take photographs of sunrise. It was whilst walking along the beach that I noticed the seal pup next to the pier wall. It appeared to be exhausted and the tide was too far out to get back to the sea.
“I was concerned the pup might get attacked by dogs and so I stayed next to it whilst I asked another passer-by to call the animal rescue number which is on the railings at the pier.
“They asked us to send through photographs of the pup. With it being Boxing Day I wasn’t sure how long it would take for them to get to us but they were at the beach within 45 minutes.”
Once at the scene, experts from Blyth Wildlife Rescue set about assessing the condition of the stranded pup.
Debbie said: “They weighed the pup and took its temperature. They said she was a female between two and three weeks old as she still had her fur. The rescue officer said she was dehydrated and exhausted, with some minor injuries.
“He also said a pup would normally be with its mother until four to six weeks old and so this pup should still have been with its mother.
“I decided to name the pup Sandy, after finding her on the beach.”
With Sandy too weak and vulnerable to return her to the sea, she was wrapped up and taken for a period of recovery at Blyth Wildlife Rescue Centre.
Debbie said: “I phoned the centre the next day (December 27) to see how she was doing. They said part of Sandy’s umbilical cord was still attached and it had caused an infection.
“Sandy was very dehydrated as she would normally be getting milk from her mother. She is going to be kept at the centre whilst she is treated for infection and to build up her strength before she can be released.
“I’m going to keep in touch with the centre and I would like to be there to see Sandy return back to the sea.”