A seal has washed up stranded in Mumbles , to the shock of the man who stumbled across it.
Jack Thomas Davies spotted the creature resting on the seafront path in front of the boats near Verdi's cafe at 3am on Saturday morning.
The 26-year-old, of Ravenhill in Swansea explained: "I was just down there with a friend going for a little walk around the seafront to see if the tide was in and I came across what looked like a black bag on the seafront. I went to pick it up only to realise it was a seal pup.
"I was very shocked as I have never seen a seal that close up before. I phoned the RSPCA and informed them and they sent a lady out at 7am in the morning to check if it was there, and it had gone."
The RSPCA advise if you find a seal pup that looks fit and healthy and shows no signs of distress, to monitor it first from a safe distance for 24 hours.
A previous seal pup rescue by the RSPCA...
On its website it says: "Too many seal pups are taken into captivity because people mistakenly think they've been abandoned.
"Baby seals can be separated from their mothers by storms and others may not feed properly for some reason and need help. An easy way to tell if they need help is a healthy seal pup looks like a big, stuffed maggot without a neck. An unhealthy seal pup looks thin (but not bony) and has a visible neck, like a dog.
"If the mother does not return within 24 hours, or you think that the pup is sick or injured - please keep at a safe distance and contact us."
The animal charity adds that you should not put a seal pup back into the sea as it may get into difficulty.
And it says: "Don't allow dogs or other animals to harass a seal - it could be scared back into the water and washed out to sea by strong currents."
You can contact the RSPCA in an emergency by calling 0300 1234 999.
