Seal pup entangled in fishing gear is put to sleep

Dan Jarvis said the grey seal pup was between six and eight weeks old

A seal pup has been put to sleep after becoming caught in fishing hooks and line.

The grey seal pup was found ensnared in the discarded tackle on Trebarwith Strand in north Cornwall on Sunday by Jon Gerrish, marine wildlife rescuers said.

They called the event "a grim reminder" of the consequences of marine pollution.

Dan Jarvis, Cornwall's area coordinator for British Divers Marine Life Rescue, said specialist medics took the pup to its Cornwall Seal Hospital but the damage was extensive, so the decision was taken to euthanise the mammal.

Mr Jarvis said looped items like fishing nets were especially dangerous to marine wildlife

Mr Jarvis said: "This grey seal pup, aged around six-eight weeks old, was quite bright and feisty, but, unfortunately, he had had an encounter with some fishing gear resulting in two hooks being caught in his left front and rear flippers with a single line connecting them.

"This would have made moving around quite painful as he wouldn't be able to stretch out or turn his body around fully."

On arrival at the hospital, more damage was discovered.

Mr Jarvis said: "Both areas where the hooks had been were inflamed and both eyes had signs of ulceration.

"But most concerning was that several of its teeth were broken and exposing the pulp inside, possibly as a result of biting the line to try to free itself."

He explained that this was a severe injury because the teeth could not have grown back and would be painful and open to infection, meaning the pup had a poor prognosis for its survival.

"For these reasons it was decided euthanasia was the most appropriate course of action for its welfare," he said.

'Everyone can take part'

Mr Jarvis urged people to prevent items from entering the environment by disposing of them correctly.

He said: "It is incidents like this that serve as a grim reminder of the consequences of animals becoming entangled in any form of marine pollution, especially looped items like nets and frisbee rings."

He also encouraged beach walkers to remove such items when found.

"All of these efforts really do make a difference to the wellbeing of wildlife and is something everyone can take part in," he added.