South Essex Wildlife Hospital rescue baby seal in Wickford

South Essex Wildlife Hospital, in Orsett, received a call from a gentleman who was walking his dog in Wickford Memorial Park.

He had spotted a lonely common seal pup on the land near a tiny section of the River Crouch.

Adorable - Baby seal rescued in Wickford (Image: South Essex Wildlife Hospital)

With no parent in sight and the location being far too shallow to support adult seals, lead vet Tom Linsel rushed over to help.

Unfortunately, when Tom arrived the poor pup was nowhere to be seen, with almost 40 minutes having passed since the last sighting.

Tom continued to search along and around the tiny section of the River Crouch and over an hour later, spotted the pup.

Sweet - Tom Linsel with the baby seal (Image: South Essex Wildlife Hospital)

A spokesman for the South Essex Wildlife Hospital said: "What is the last thing you expect to find in the middle of a park in Wickford... definitely a baby seal.

"Luckily, after over an hour of searching, the pup was spotted on the edge of a muddy bank - about 500m from the original location - and a now very muddy Tom pulled him to safety.

"Amazingly, only a few people noticed Tom walking back to the ambulance with a seal pup in his arms."

Earlier this year, the South Essex Wildlife Hospital revealed how they had seen a spike in grey seal pups that need help.

This has provided a new challenge for the charity with every seal needing its own space and pool time.

The newly-rescued seal pup is now on the road to recovery at the hospital.

A spokesman added: "Now back at the centre, the young male has had a good bath and is now looking a lot better.

"We now have four common - also known as harbour - seal pups along with four grey seals.

"Our fish bill is on the rise yet again.

"If you wanted to help this pup and his new friends stay nice and full, please consider donating at https://southessexwildlife.org/donate."

The South Essex Wildlife Hospital serves the whole of south Essex and beyond and works tirelessly all year round to nurse sick and injured animals back to full health.

It often takes around 200 calls a day.