Free Willy

So yesterday's high tide survey was overshadowed by me trying to persuade a Harbour Porpoise to save itself from beaching up on the mud on the in coming tide, but this was just going to be a losing battle for me ;(

This cracking beast obviously was in a lot of stress, and was doing what a lot of cetaceans do for some unknown reason to man, but to get it self out of the water! Why do they do this? To die alone?  Without their family members knowing or hearing them in distress?  We will probably never know or understand why.

After three attempts at me pulling/pushing this amazing animal back into deeper water, it just kept getting as far up on the land as possible, until the tide was so high that it covered the saltings, and then it tried to dig itself into the roots of the long grass that was now above my wellies!  All the time it was still coming up for air and was seemingly having some sort of muscle spasms.

I then had no more time but to leave this amazing creature in peace, but will never forgot what a close and personel experince had with this species.

Common seal investigates the commotion