Seal heartbreakingly trapped inside old toilet seat is 'most unusual case' of littering horrors

Concern is growing for a seal that has become trapped in a discarded toilet seat in what has been described as the "most unusual" case of littering.

The affected seal was spotted with the unusual attachment in the Ythan estuary at Forvie Nature Reserve in Collieston, . The beach area near Newburgh is understood to be home to a large seal colony.

While entanglements are not uncommon, the local authority, Ythan Seal Watch, have described this instance as the "most unusual by far" - but sadly, experts admitted that there is "nothing that can be done" to help the animal in the immediate future.

READ MORE:

The volunteer group say that they will need to wait until the seal comes back on to land to administer aid. In the meantime, passersby are encouraged to take photos and videos of the affected seal to monitor its wellbeing.

A Ythan Seal Watch spokesperson said in a statement: "Both the British Divers Marine Life Rescue and YSW have received multiple reports of a seal currently in the estuary that has become entangled in a white toilet seat. The seat appears to be around the seal's mid section. We want to thank all the visitors who have made reports and sent in video and photos.

"We have witnessed a huge variety of entanglements on seals (mostly discarded fishing waste, commercial/industrial products) but this is the most unusual by far. The team from the BDMLR who deal with entanglement rescues at the site are aware of the seal and the Forvie reserve staff have also been informed to help monitor it.

"Until such a time that it is on land and the BDMLR can get to it there isn't anything that can be done to attempt to help it. The seal would need to be safely contained to work on the entanglement and asses the Seal for injuries. In the mean time we would ask that any pictures or sightings of the Seal be posted here to help monitor it. This also helps us to track the days the seal is at the site and if it is even still at the Ythan."

It appealed to people to approach the animal "and please do not attempt any rescue", adding: "Seals like this required a lot of training and experience to manage. If on Forvie the seal would have to be behind the colony as near to the top of the beach as possible and not on the waters edge at the haul-out.

"Even then the BDMLR would have to assess tide and conditions, location and time of day before a rescue attempt was made. We would also ask that visitors who still approach the haul-out on the reserve view the seals from Newburgh as instructed. We can't help seals like this when the colony is being disturbed."

The British Divers Marine Life Rescue posted a video on their page, which blasted litterers. It read: "What's floating around in our sea? Well, in this case, a toilet seat! Stuck to a seal!

"We have had so many calls about this seal and usually the caller says 'You're not going to believe this!'. You're right. We couldn't quite believe it. Even the other seals look confused. We see so many incidents of entanglements. Is this ironic? Or is our sea just becoming one big toilet?" The has contacted the RSPCA for comment.