Take a wrong turn? Seal 'turns up in land-locked lake after swimming through flood water'

A seal appears to have found its way into a land-locked lake 50 miles from the coast - by swimming through flood water.

The creature was spotted by walkers at the RSPB's Fen Drayton Lakes, near St Ives, Cambs., this week.

It is believed the seal swam up the Great River Ouse from King's Lynn, Norfolk, and then glided into the nature reserve through the high flood waters.

One witness caught the moment the seal clambered over flood defences from the river into a water-logged field.

Graham Elliott, area manager for the RSPB, said: "It would be the first time this has happened to my knowledge that one has made its way into the lake.

"The floods normally come from ground water rather than the river and so if there is one it must have worked its way up in a ditch or something like that.


A video of the seal was posted on YouTube on December 30 by a user called Robjn.

He captioned the footage: "The fields around the lakes have flooded, as they annually do.

"In the river is a seal that is climbing up the flood defences to get into the field, now a mere, with swollen water from the lake inside."

Wildlife workers said seals had occassionally been spotted in the nearby River Great Ouse but only ever as far inland as Earith.

To reach the lakes at Fen Drayton the seal has travelled ten miles further than the areas where they can be spotted.

Mr Elliott added: "I am not entirely sure where the video was taken from, but it looks to me as though it may have been taken across the river from the Holywell side and the animal is entering the lake known as Ferry Lagoon.


Poll Choice Options