Cristina Hodgson
A RARE specimen of the grey seal, native to the North Atlantic, was spotted this Thursday, March 17, on the Cable beach in Motril (Granada).
According to sources from the Guardia Civil’s Maritime Service, the mammal, an adult specimen, was found to be in apparently good condition, without any visible injuries, with marine experts believing that the seal was using the beach to rest during its journey.
A journey that has already taken the seal all along the Andalucian coast, having been previously spotted in Doñana, Huelva, on February 18, and the following day in the bay of Cadiz.
Several days later it was sighted between Alhucemas, Melilla and the Chafarinas Islands. Last Tuesday it was found on the Estepona beach of El Saladillo and on Wednesday off El Peñoncillo beach in Torrox. By Thursday the animal had made it to Motril, in Granada province.
Marine biologist Jose Luis Mons, from the Aula de Mar in Malaga, who travelled to Estepona to see the seal explained that the seal ‘does not appear to be ill,’ however Mons believes that the seal might have ingested something and is ‘having trouble digesting its food, which is why it has come to the shore to rest.’
A security cordon has been set up to protect the animal, with residents asked to stay away and not disturb it, so that it can return to the sea on its own and resume its journey once rested.
READ MORE:
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- Massive whale beaches itself in Estepona in the south of Spain
