An East Lothian walker encountered an injured baby seal pup on a local beach.
The baby seal was spotted on the beach between Barns Ness lighthouse and Skateraw by the individual who shared an image of the animal so that dog walkers were aware of its location.
In the image that was taken on November 23 you can see a fluffy seal that looks to have washed up and is facing inland in front of the long grass on the beach.
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The person who found the marine mammal called the Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) who sent a member of their team to come and inspect the poorly pup.
Tragically however, the cute injured pup was found to have had an injury to its eye and on further inspection was found to have had more serious health issues.
Scottish SPCA senior animal rescue officer, Melissa Maitland, said, “We were alerted to an injured seal pup on the beach near to Barns Ness lighthouse.
“The seal had a severe wound to their eye and, on examination by a vet at our National Wildlife Rescue Centre, was found to have other serious health issues which meant they had to be put to sleep on welfare grounds.
“We would advise members of the public that if they come across a seal pup they keep their distance from the animal, keep any dogs on the lead and call our helpline on 03000 999 999 for advice.”
If you have any concern over an animal then you can also get information from the SSPCA website here.
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