Seal found at Bristol pub 'lost half of body weight' in journey from Scotland, RSPCA reveals

The RSPCA has given an update on the seal pup that ended up in a pub near Bristol after travelling down from Scotland.

The seal, nicknamed Nacho, showed up at The Old Lock and Weir pub in Hanham on January 2 - much to the surprise of staff and punters.

They called the British Divers Marine Life Rescue charity, who transported the pup to the RSPCA rescue centre at West Hatch in Taunton.

He was found to be malnourished and underweight, having lost around half his body weight on his journey south.

The seal pup is now being cared for at an RSPCA rescue centre in Taunton.

'Concerning'

Paul Oaten, who is a wildlife supervisor at West Hatch, said: “It’s certainly unusual for a seal to turn up at a pub like Nacho did!

"The River Avon runs from the coast all the way along through Keynsham where the pub is situated at the water’s edge, so it’s likely he found his way there swimming upstream from the coast.

“Unfortunately, poor Nacho is really underweight and at around six-months-old, it’s quite concerning.

"What’s interesting is that Nacho has an identification tag on his fin, and from this, we were able to find out more about him and where he has come from."

Nacho was malnourished and underweight following his journey south from Scotland.

As a baby, Nacho was cared for by the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty.

He was released two months ago, which is when he is believed to have started his 300-mile trip south.

He weighed 33kg at the time but weighs just 14kg now.

"We’re hoping Nacho will make a good recovery with time, care and plenty of food so that if we are able to build him up to a healthy weight again we can release him into the wild once more and hopefully he’ll keep himself healthy," Paul added.

Nacho will initially be looked after in the centre's intensive care pens before being moved to another area.

It is hoped he will gain the necessary weight and start self-feeding before being released.