Seal found tangled in netting released back into sea

A grey seal found tangled up in netting on a beach has been returned to the sea by rescuers.

The distressed seal was discovered with netting around its neck at Cruden Bay in Aberdeenshire on Tuesday.

The Scottish SPCA was alerted and officers took him to a rescue centre where the animal was cut free.

Chief inspector John Carle said: “The amount of netting tangled around the seal’s neck was the largest I have ever seen.

“He was so large and heavy it took three of our officers to lift him and take him to our centre in Drumoak, where we cut the net away.

“If he hadn’t been discovered and freed the net would eventually have cut through his skin, which could have resulted in septicaemia or other infections.

“It was a lovely moment watching the seal heading back into the water.”