Large rock mistaken as ‘seal crying in distress’ in UK
What began as a dramatic animal rescue along the North East Lincolnshire coast in the United Kingdom (UK) turned out to be a hilarious case of mistaken identity — when a “distressed, crying seal” reported by a worried passer-by turned out to be nothing more than a rock.
According to BBC News, a member of the public contacted Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue on Sunday (11 May), after claiming she heard anguished cries and spotted what looked like a seal in distress near the shoreline.
Vet & volunteers rush to scene to find…a rock
A vet and two volunteers were quickly dispatched, expecting an urgent situation.
But after combing the area and following the woman’s detailed instructions, the rescue team made a surprising discovery — the “seal” was actually a large rock sticking out of the water.
Source: Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue on Facebook
“We are frequently telling people not to approach seals and not to disturb them. The rock did look like a seal, so the member of the public has done the right thing,” said Aaron Goss, lead rescuer at the charity.
“They have stayed back and contacted us to give us the heads up, so they have done nothing wrong at all and, of course, it is quite humorous that it was just a rock,” he added.
Caller claimed she heard seal ‘crying’
Mr Goss explained that the caller had claimed to see the seal moving and even heard it making noises.
Unable to locate the animal at first, the team called the woman back for more precise information about the location of the animal.
Based on her updated directions, they eventually zeroed in on the object in question — only to find that it was, unmistakably, a rock.
“I don’t know where she heard the crying from, but that’s not a problem – maybe it was a passing gull!” Mr Goss expressed.
Source: USO on Canva, for illustration purposes only
Log once mistaken as seal
Apparently, this isn’t the first time the team has raced out to save an inanimate object.
“A few years ago, we had a log wash up a bit further out on the beach, and people mistook that for a seal,” he recounted, adding that from a distance, the log did look like a seal.
“It’s not a problem. We can get the big binoculars out and double-check,” he said.
Despite the laughable outcome, Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue reassured the public that they take all reports of animals in distress seriously.
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Navy squad called to defuse bomb at UK beach, only to find it’s upturned old saucepan
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Featured image adapted from Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue on Facebook.
