'Heartbreak' as Cornish seal trapped in netting for years is put down after rescue
A seal that had to be rescued after getting tangled in netting off the Cornish coast has been put down.
Hattie was found trapped between boulders near Sennen in April and was taken to British Divers Marine Life Rescue’s Seal Pup Hospital Cornwall (BDLMR).
She needed treatment for wounds on her neck, which had been caused by fishing nets.
Medics estimated she may have been caught in the netting for around three years.
Despite being under observation for the past two weeks, Hattie’s condition deteriorated and she had to be put down on May 7.
In a statement on Facebook, the hospital explained: "I’m afraid we have to give you all some very sad news about Hattie. Yesterday, we became very concerned about Hattie as her condition had rapidly deteriorated.
"She was showing signs of a more complex, underlying illness going on and some blood tests revealed that she was likely to be suffering from some major organ dysfunction.
"Hattie’s quality of life was declining, and her chances of recovery from such a major illness and eventual release back into the wild were extremely slim.
"With all this in mind, we decided to let her pass away peacefully and with dignity last night, as our vet came out to put her to sleep."
Hattie was just four-and-a-half-years old and was severely malnourished.
She was less than half the size a seal should be at her age, and her wounds were 4cm deep across the back of her neck.
'Heartbreaking decision'
The statement added: "As you can imagine, this was a heartbreaking decision for our team who have worked so hard over the past nine days to give her the very best care.
"But as with all our important decisions, our patients welfare and best interests must always be the top priority.
"We are comforted at least by the fact that her final days were in an environment where she was safe and well cared for. She was a very special seal, and one which I’m sure we will all remember.
"A postmortem will be carried out and we hope that will give us some more information about the illness Hattie was suffering from and whether it was perhaps a result of her long-term entanglement.
"A huge thank you to everyone who has been involved with Hattie’s rescue and care, as well as to everyone who has been following her progress on here.
"We really appreciate your ongoing support of our work, particularly at very difficult times like this.
"In the world of wildlife rehabilitation, we unfortunately can’t save every animal we are presented with but we will always endeavour to do the right thing for each of them."
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