An underweight gray seal pup that appears to have swum more than 20 miles (32 kilometers) inland was rescued after a surprise encounter with a fisherman on England’s Norfolk Broads — a situation volunteers are calling one of the strangest wildlife rescues of the year.
The seal was discovered on Friday, Dec. 26 (Boxing Day) in the village of Horning, about 11 miles (18 kilometers from the coast), after it surfaced beside a fisherman rowing on the River Bure. According to a Facebook post shared by Friends of Horsey Seals, the angler had just caught a fish and was trying to place it into his keep net when the seal suddenly appeared and went for the same catch.
In the confusion, both the fish and the seal ended up in the net.
“The fisherman ended up with both the fish and the seal in his keep net, at which point he called our rescue number,” the volunteer team wrote.
Rescuers believe the pup didn’t travel over land, but instead swam inland from the coast — likely entering the River Bure at Great Yarmouth before heading upstream to Horning. By river, that route would total roughly 20 miles (32 kilometers).
When the rescue team arrived, they weighed the pup at just under 26 lbs. (12 kilograms) — far below the typical healthy range for a pup of its age, which generally falls between 66 and 99 lbs. (30 to 45 kilograms). Due to its condition, the seal was transported to the RSPCA East Winch Wildlife Centre near King’s Lynn for further evaluation and care.
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“This has to be one of the strangest seal rescue stories of the year,” Friends of Horsey Seals wrote.
Volunteer Sally Butler, who took the call shortly before 8 a.m., told the BBC the rescue stood out not only because of how far inland the pup had traveled, but also because of the unlikely way it was found.
“He’d caught a fish and was trying to get it into his keep net, and the seal went in behind the fish,” Butler said. “As long as it starts feeding on its own, hopefully it will be OK.”
Butler also said the group received 49 other rescue calls that day, noting that the holiday period is among their busiest times of year. Thousands of gray seal pups are born along the nearby Norfolk coast around Sea Palling, Horsey and Winterton-on-Sea, she added, and young seals often begin moving independently not long after birth.
While seals are known to travel upriver, it’s still unusual to find one this far inland. The pup — now named Sunshine — is currently being fed a nutrient-rich fish soup at RSPCA East Winch to help rebuild its strength.
