ADORABLE images show the moment a shattered seal was found waddling along a country path in a bid to escape sea storms.
The tired pup was found almost a mile away from sea on a popular walking path near Belhaven Bay in Dunbar, East Lothian.
He is thought to have been caught up in choppy waves and hurled onto the beach not long after leaving his mother’s side.
Local walkers were shocked to discover the adorable animal flapping around on the grass verge last Saturday morning.
He was found just metres from a busy beach-side carpark at John Muir Country Park.
Wardens from the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) came and rescued the pup and are believed to be feeding him up before setting him back out to sea.
An East Lothian Country Park ranger said: “It was actually a member of the public that let us know about the seal.
“He was found not quite a mile up from the beach at Belhaven Bay and had almost reached the carpark – and was knackered by this point.
“Some times during seal pupping season, the pups will be on the shore while their mums stay in the sea nearby.
“This one was old enough to be weaned off his mum and had lost all his fur but I think he just lost his way after getting into a bit of difficulty.
“We do find quite a few pup seals washed on shore if the seas been really rough but you wouldn’t expect to see one as far up as that.”
Seals spend most of the time at sea, and might swim thousands of miles during their lives in search of food.
They come ashore for three reasons, to breed, to moult, and to rest between fishing expeditions.
Scottish SPCA wildlife centre manager Colin Seddon said: “The seal pup is doing well. He is underweight but we’ve put him on a diet of fish soup and should go onto whole fish soon.
“Once the pup is feeding himself we will move him to an outdoor pool and mix him with other seals of a similar size.
“Once he has reached a weight of at least 30kg and the weather is suitable we will release him into the wild, this will be in about two months.”
