Baby seal rescued after getting stranded in cow field

A beautiful five-day-old seal has been rescued after becoming separated from its mother - and stranded in a field of cows.

The pup was surrounded by around 30 curious cows when it was spotted by a birdwatcher at an RSPB sanctuary on the banks of The Wash in Lincolnshire.

See also: Friendly seal pups delight divers in lovely pics

Ian Ellis said he noticed the cows behaving strangely, so looked closer through his telescope and then saw the tiny seal stuck in a muddy puddle.

He contacted reserve wardens as well as the Skegness Natureland Seal Sanctuary, who sent staff to collect it.

Mr Ellis and RSPB staff warden Toby Collett managed to take the seal to safety away from the cows, who had not harmed it.

The baby was suffering with dehydration and hunger.

According to the Daily Telegraph, Mr Ellis, 67, said: "There are seals on the edge of the marsh but it was the way the cows were so inquisitive that made me look.

"Toby picked up the seal and I put it in my coat and carried it to the car park all the way down the sea bank to be rescued."

Speaking to the Daily Mail, Richard Yeadon, the director at the Natureland sanctuary, said: "We think she got separated from mum and got caught in the tide and then became stranded when the tide went back out again.

"Cows are quite inquisitive so they were pushing her around a bit, but she wasn't hurt at all.

"Once we got her back to Natureland she went straight into the Seal Hospital to begin treatment.

"Her main problem is that at only five days old she was orphaned and therefore had not fed for a while, she had lost quite a lot of weight and was dehydrated.

"We gave her rehydration fluid through a stomach tube and are now giving her high fat herrings which will help her gain back the weight."

The seal has been named Celebration to mark Natureland's 50th anniversary.

It initially looked like she might not recover from her ordeal as she became ill over the weekend, but Mr Yeadon added: "She is on antibiotics now and is on the mend. We will be monitoring her very closely over the next couple of days, but we're hopeful she's going to pull through.

"Once she is stronger, she will continue through the rehabilitation process until she is 60 to 70lb and is able to feed in the water by herself. We will then release her back to the wild."