Reported dog in sea turns out to be dead seal

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 28 Oct, 15:13 · Archive

Coastguards responded to a report of a dead dog in the sea at St Bees on the Cumbrian coast but found it was a seal.

The Whitehaven Coastguard Rescue Team were called shortly after midday on 28 October after a 999 report said a dog was in the water and believed to be dead. Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre Belfast Coastguard tasked the team to attend after concerns that people might enter the water to investigate.

A crowd of onlookers had gathered at the scene, with rough seas, large waves and debris breaking over the promenade. The coastguard's priority was to ensure public safety and prevent further casualties, and to establish whether any dog owner was missing or unaccounted for.

Investigations from the shore confirmed that the animal was a deceased seal, not a dog. A search of Sea Mill Lane car park and the cliff path towards St Bees found no sign of a missing or unaccounted-for dog walker. With the seal carcass having drifted back out to sea and the tide beginning to fall, the team was stood down.

How it is being reported

• Reported dog in sea turns out to be dead seal after coastguard searchSt Bees Coastguard attended after a reported dead dog in the sea was confirmed as a seal on October 28, amid rough seas and large waves on the Cumbrian coast.Whitehaven News · 28 Oct, 14:45
• Reported dog in sea turns out to be dead seal after coastguard searchSt Bees Coastguard attended after a reported dead dog in the sea was confirmed as a seal on October 28, amid rough seas and large waves on the Cumbrian coast.Cumberland News · 28 Oct, 14:36

In this story: St Bees · Whitehaven Coastguard Rescue Team · Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre Belfast · Cumbrian coast

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