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| Version 4 | Version 5 |
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| 'Lost' grey seal rescued from field in St Helens | 'Lost' grey seal rescued from field in St Helens |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A seal found in a field in Merseyside has been taken to a wildlife hospital "exhausted" after being rescued. | |
| The "distressed" sea mammal was found near Newton Brook in Newton-le-Willows at about 09:45 GMT, police said. | |
| Police, animal rescue officers and a farmer herded it with brooms and metal fences into a RSPCA trailer. | |
| The grey seal, found about 17 miles (27km) from the nearest coastline, is thought to have travelled up the River Mersey, before getting "lost". | |
| It has been taken to the RSPCA's hospital in Nantwich, Cheshire for assessment. | |
| Police said once the animal has fully recovered, the RSPCA "hope to release the seal back into its natural habitat". | |
| British Divers Marine Life Rescue Service (BDMLR) were called to rescue the seal by police after it was found by a dog walker. | |
| Rachael Fraser, from BDMLR, said: "We think he's come from the Mersey area, which is tidal, and he's come up the bank here and he's got lost. | Rachael Fraser, from BDMLR, said: "We think he's come from the Mersey area, which is tidal, and he's come up the bank here and he's got lost. |
| "It's very unusual." | "It's very unusual." |
| Seals are powerful animals and potentially dangerous, police said. They have advised members of the public to stay away from the area. | Seals are powerful animals and potentially dangerous, police said. They have advised members of the public to stay away from the area. |
| Steve Marsh, from BDMLR, said: "It's not an easy job certainly because they are large animals. | Steve Marsh, from BDMLR, said: "It's not an easy job certainly because they are large animals. |
| "They can be quite aggressive and we do have people in our charity that can actually handle those large seals, but in this instance we are probably going to have to be using the fire brigade to help out." | "They can be quite aggressive and we do have people in our charity that can actually handle those large seals, but in this instance we are probably going to have to be using the fire brigade to help out." |
| He said the fire service had a "good animal rescue team". | He said the fire service had a "good animal rescue team". |
| Grey seals | Grey seals |
| Source: The Mammal Society | Source: The Mammal Society |