Seal stranded on Murlough Beach

Seal stranded on Murlough Beach

3 October 2018

THIS young stricken seal was at the centre of a drama on Murlough Beach last week.

Named as Panoramix, it emerged that the one-year-male ended up stranded on the beach after leaving its colony in Wexford.

Several hours later as local National Trust wardens kept an eye on him, Panoramix finally was able to summon enough strength to return to the water.

The seal was spotted last Tuesday by Dundrum conservationist Seamus King as he scanned Dundrum bay from his telescope in his apartment.

He soon realised that the seal was in difficulty as he seemed unable to move.

Mr King said: “This was about 2pm and I saw that the seal was exhausted and had difficulty getting back into the water.

“It seemed not to be moving at all and for a time I wondered if it was still alive.”

Seamus, who is a RSPB member and a volunteer with Mourner Heritage Trust, knew not to interfere with the seal but to seek expert advice.

“I called the seal manager, Amy Robinson, at Portaferry, and she contacted Sea Rescue Ireland who asked if I could get close enough to get more information,” said Mr King.

“With the help of two National Trusts wardens, I approached the seal to take a picture of its tag. I was told that it was a young male from Sea Rescue Ireland in Wexford, not one of our own seal colony which live on the Ballykinlar side of Dundrum bay.”

The agreed plan of action was to keep an eye on the seal and to leave it overnight to see if it had moved before taking it to Exploris to safety the next day.

Mr King adds: “The greatest danger was that he could have become more stressed had there been for example a dog in the area, or a walker getting too close. Any approach can make a seal more anxious.

“We were able to establish some time later, thanks to our two National Trust friends, that had returned safely to the water, sometime between 7-8pm.”