Trapped Jumanji the seal rescued from Hartlepool rocks

RSPCA animal rescue officer Ruth Thomas-Coxon and Inspector Steph Baines were sent to rescue a seal pup which had become trapped between two rocks on the beach near Newburn Bridge in Coronation Drive, Hartlepool, earlier this month.

Ruth said: “He was certainly caught between a rock and a hard place with his flippers so he couldn't get out.

“There was no sign of his mum so we safely eased him out and because he looked thin and had some cuts on his tail I took him to a nearby vets for treatment.”

The seal was found to have a temperature and was given anti-inflammatory medication and antibiotics but there were concerns that he was underweight.

The young animal was then transported to the RSPCA’s Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre, in Nantwich, Cheshire, where he has been named Jumanji.

Rescued seals at the centre are being named after board games this season and Jumanji – as he is now called – is said to be feeding well and, once he has recovered fully, he will be returned to the wild.

The seal is just one of thousands of animals coming into RSPCA care in recent weeks as frontline rescue teams at the charity continue to work in all weathers, 365 days a year.

Last year, the charity received one call about a distressed animal every minute – which is why it has launched its Christmas appeal called The Christmas Rescue.

In the case of Jumanji, the road to recovery can be as long as five months, which is costly as the centres rely entirely on public donations.

Lee Stewart, centre manager at Stapeley Grange, said: “The path of rehabilitation involves starting them on to a fish soup, force feeding them while they learn to feed for themselves, then moving them into one of the pools to mix with other seals so they have less human contact.

It will cost the RSPCA an average of £3,750 to feed the animals at just one of its wildlife centres this month.

To donate to The Christmas rescue, go to https://www.rspca.org.uk/