Seal emerges from Thames and surprises Teddington lifeboat crew

The grey seal was first spotted by lifeboat crews and made its way to Eel Pie Island

A seal surprised lifeboat crews after it emerged from the River Thames and hopped on to a kayak mount.

The RNLI said it encountered a "special guest" when the grey seal played outside its station in Teddington Lock in south-west London on Friday.

Grey seal populations in the River Thames are growing, according to the Zoological Society of London (ZSL).

Amateur photographer Tobias Handschuh also documented the seal "eating a massive fish" later in the day.

The charity posted footage of the grey seal playing by the locks and said it was "so good to see".

"Our station is busy but being this close to nature is definitely one of the perks of the job," a RNLI spokeswoman added.

Later in the day, Mr Handschuh said he saw a "strange thing floating in the river" near Eel Pie Island, in Twickenham, so he got out his camera.

"It is always very exciting to see a seal in the upper part of the Thames," he said.

"My last seal sighting in Twickenham was in March 2022," Mr Handschuh added.

Tobias Handschuh captured the seal eating a fish near Eel Pie Island

An RNLI spokeswoman said crews had spotted another seal in Richmond while on a training exercise on 6 January.

Researchers from the ZSL found the Thames was home to 2,866 grey seals after pupping season in 2021.

• Seal population shows River Thames in good health

• Seal stuck in lake munching through fish stocks

• Warning to give seals space as lockdown eases

Marine biologists use seal population as a barometer of river health and have previously said that despite a dip in numbers, the river is thriving.

The seals have been counted every year since 2013, apart from 2020.

Follow BBC London on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail]