A seal in Scotland that was almost “decapitated” after being trapped in fishing wire has made a miraculous recovery.
Ariel was discovered on a beach in the Aberdeenshire village of Johnshaven with a fishing line around her neck. The animal was rescued by a Scottish SPCA officer, though she was suffering from life-threatening injuries.
She was bleeding heavily with a deep wound to her neck and was in a weakened state. The neck wound was also found to be infected, further worsening her condition.
Ariel was quickly taken to the Scottish SPCA’s National Wildlife Rescue Centre at Fishcross, where staff began to nurse her back to health. Following a months-long recovery, she has now been returned to the wild.
Wildlife Assistant Caitlin Ganley commented: “Ariel was the worst entanglement case we’ve ever had to deal with. It was heart-breaking to see the extent of her injuries all of which could have been avoided.
“Seals are particularly vulnerable to becoming entangled in fishing lines, nets and other debris. Once trapped they often suffer slow painful deaths as the gear tightens around their necks and bodies.
“Although the vast majority of anglers are responsible and take care to clear away their equipment after they’ve used it, there is a minority of people who fish and don’t respect the environment and the wildlife that inhabits it.”
When Ariel arrived at the National Wildlife Rescue Centre, staff removed the fishing gear from her neck and started a complicated process of mending her wounds. The animal received a strong course of antibiotics, and workers regularly cleaned her wounds and replaced her dressing.
The National Wildlife Rescue Centre also helped with the seal’s feedings, as she refused to eat by herself. In total, it took several months before Ariel was back to a healthy 56-kilogram weight.
Ganley continued: “Our main goal was to keep Ariel alive but her welfare and how we were managing her pain and stress was equally important too. Once she started eating on her own we knew she had a fighting chance of recovery.
“At that point, it became a matter of allowing her body to heal and getting her weight up so she could be released.”
After three months, Ariel was finally let back into the sea. According to Ganley, watching the seal return to her natural habitat was a joyous moment for staff.
She added: “It was so emotional watching Ariel swim off as a team we were thrilled to watch her return to the sea, fully healed and ready to resume her life in the wild were she belongs. This is why we do the work we do and always go the extra mile.
“We put so much of ourselves into her recovery and watching her swim away, knowing she has a second chance makes all the hard work worthwhile.”
Don’t miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond – sign up to the Scotland Now newsletter here.