So sad....

I had heard about the seal at Teddington Lock, so this morning I decided to pop up there to see if I could find it. I did, and was dismayed to see that it had some what looked like fishing tackle jammed in its mouth. It managed to catch a fish and somehow maneuvered it past the hardware and swallowed it. A lady standing nearby helped me to phone around various  rescue organisations. I contacted the Lock Keeper, and after many phone calls the RSPCA, Lock Keeper and the British Divers Marine Life Rescue liaised with one another and are going to monitor the seal. Sadly this is not a rare occurrence - according to the BDMLR  the hook rusts and the seal is then able to shed the rubbish. It was able to eat. However, it was distressing to see.