Bridlington: Rescuers search for entangled seal pup spotted by drone

A drone captured the entangled seal pup off Fraisthorpe, East Yorkshire

Rescuers are trying to find a tangled seal pup spotted by a drone on the Yorkshire coast this weekend.

The pilot sighted the pup in Fraisthorpe, near Bridlington, at about 14:30 GMT on Saturday.

He alerted British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), which deployed a team to search for the creature.

Unfortunately, the pup has not been captured and beach-goers are being asked to report any further sightings.

The entangled pup was sighted on Saturday afternoon in Fraisthorpe

Emily Mayman, from the charity, said images taken by the drone pilot and sent to its control room, proved "extremely useful", helping coordinate its response.

She said: "The pup was seen repeatedly leaving and entering the water, before swimming north towards Bridlington.

"We sent teams to both Fraisthorpe and Bridlington, but unfortunately we have been unable to locate the pup."

Ms Mayman said, from the pictures, the pup will be in pain and added entanglements often prove fatal.

She said: "The entanglement doesn't grow with the pup so over a period of time it will cut deeper into the flesh. This often causes huge infections."

Increase in entanglements

Ms Mayman said teams have seen in increase in wildlife entanglements in recent years.

"We're seeing between 10 and 12 entanglements a year now," she said. "Five years ago, we were getting four or five a year."

She said it is unclear whether rising grey seal numbers - known for being inquisitive mammals and and prone to getting caught up in objects they explore - or a possible increase in line discardment is responsible.

Ms Mayman added the team, while searching the area, were able to rescue another pup with a severe eye infection.

If anyone does spot the entangled pup, they are advised not to approach it and instead contact BDMLR for advice.