Seal weighed down by fishing debris being cared for by RSPCA
Female grey seal Doughnut was rescued by Friends of Horsey Seals
Last updated 23rd Sep 2026
A young seal found with 4kg of fishing debris tangled round her neck is receiving emergency treatment at an RSPCA centre in Norfolk.
Female grey seal Doughnut - as she’s been named - was rescued by the Friends of Horsey Seals from Horsey on Sunday (20 September).
She was then transported to the RSPCA’s East Winch Wildlife Centre.
Wildlife Centre Manager Evangelos Achilleos said: “Doughnut had become severely entangled in a mass of netting, twine, fishing hooks and metal that had knotted together to become an anchor weighing her down in the water, cutting deeply into her flesh, draining her of energy, leaving her in unimaginable pain and preventing her from swimming or hunting properly.
“When this horrid mass was finally removed from her we were horrified to discover that it weighed around 4kg. Unsurprisingly, it left huge, deep lacerations around her whole neck.
“These ‘necklace’ injuries are becoming a sight we see all too often here at East Winch and it’s devastating to see the impact that humankind is having on these beautiful creatures.”
The RSPCA’s wildlife experts and vet teams will be monitoring Doughnut closely as she’s treated for her injuries.
Doughnut, thought to be around a year old, has a 3in-deep wound which will need to recover.
Sally Butler, Chair of the Friends of Horsey Seals group, said: “It's very rare for us to attempt a rescue at this time of year with so many heavily pregnant seals around it wouldn’t be right for us to disturb them and cause them stress.
“But we were doubtful as to whether Doughnut would survive until the end of the pupping season so we decided to attempt a rescue even though she wasn’t close to the water’s edge.
“It was a case of right time, right place and we managed to haul Doughnut out alongside a small group of juveniles, bulls and one weaned pup. We’re so grateful to the members of the public who helped us carry the stretcher off the beach and to the East Winch team for their hard work in caring for her.
“Unfortunately we’re aware of other entangled seals in the colony and we hope to rescue them soon.”