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| River Great Ouse fishing hook seal 'risks ripping eye out' | River Great Ouse fishing hook seal 'risks ripping eye out' |
| (3 days later) | |
| The rescue of a "distressed" seal with a fishing hook caught in the edge of its eye will be "incredibly difficult", a marine officer has said. | The rescue of a "distressed" seal with a fishing hook caught in the edge of its eye will be "incredibly difficult", a marine officer has said. |
| The seal was spotted on the back of a boat in Littleport, Cambridgeshire, in the River Great Ouse on Sunday, as first reported by the Ely Standard. | |
| It has been seen along a stretch of the river for about a week. | It has been seen along a stretch of the river for about a week. |
| It risks "ripping its eye out" if the rescue is not careful, said Dan Jarvis of British Divers Marine Life Rescue. | It risks "ripping its eye out" if the rescue is not careful, said Dan Jarvis of British Divers Marine Life Rescue. |
| "If it's actually perforated the eye it's really serious and we'd need to get vets and rescue centres involved," he added. | "If it's actually perforated the eye it's really serious and we'd need to get vets and rescue centres involved," he added. |
| "If it's just in the skin it can be taken out on site." | "If it's just in the skin it can be taken out on site." |
| He said the seal could become aggressive during a rescue attempt and its panic response would be to "twist and spin", which would aggravate the injury further. | He said the seal could become aggressive during a rescue attempt and its panic response would be to "twist and spin", which would aggravate the injury further. |
| Mr Jarvis said the seal had been seen regularly "hanging off the back of a boat" which was not a safe place to attempt a rescue. | Mr Jarvis said the seal had been seen regularly "hanging off the back of a boat" which was not a safe place to attempt a rescue. |
| Littleport bed and breakfast owner Peter Slee-Smith said he was alerted to the seal by a guest on Sunday. | Littleport bed and breakfast owner Peter Slee-Smith said he was alerted to the seal by a guest on Sunday. |
| "The seal was sitting at the stern of the boat [on a] metal grill - which provided a platform out of the water," he said. | "The seal was sitting at the stern of the boat [on a] metal grill - which provided a platform out of the water," he said. |
| Mr Slee-Smith said the seal looked either "exhausted" or "in distress" and stayed there for about six hours before leaving. | Mr Slee-Smith said the seal looked either "exhausted" or "in distress" and stayed there for about six hours before leaving. |