Brave seal entangled in net and rescued on Cornish beach is put to sleep
Hattie was saved from drowning after getting trapped between boulders at Sennen, but her condition had deteriorated
A brave seal who was found with a fishing net tangled round her neck when she was rescued on a beach in Cornwall has died.
Hattie was saved from drowning at the end of April, after being trapped between boulders at Sennen: Read more.
Posting on Facebook on Saturday, British Divers Marine Life Rescue confirmed her condition had deteriorated the day before.
Tests confirmed she was suffering from major organ dysfunction and her chances of recovering from such a major illness and being released back into the wild were described 'extremely slim'.
The team at BDLMR Seal Pup Hospital Cornwall called the vets and, sadly, Hattie was put to sleep.
"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.
"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.
"Later today 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 endeavor to do the right thing for each of them".
BDMLR Seal Pup Hospital Cornwall