Baby seal found in Norfolk back garden four miles away from sea

Pup thought to have travelled to inland village via drainage system

This three-week-old seal pup was found in a village in Norfolk (RSPCA)

A resident of an inland Norfolk village got something of a surprise when they spotted a rather unexpected visitor in their back garden: a baby seal.

The pup was four miles from the sea when it was discovered in Terrington St Clement.

It is believed the three-week-old animal had travelled there through a drainage system, where the water can be as shallow as two inches.

“This poor pup must have just kept trying to travel further and further down in the hope of finding water or food,” said Naemi Kilbey, the RSPCA animal collection officer who was called to rescue the creature.

The animal – a male – has now been taken to the East Winch Wildlife Centre, where it is being fed and checked over, the charity said.

Ms Kilbey added: “He was an incredibly feisty little fella and it took all my strength to catch and rescue him, but it would have been his spirit and fight for life that would have kept him alive during his ordeal.

“I’m just so grateful to the homeowner who found him and called us.

“If the pup hadn’t been found he would have likely have died of starvation due to not being able to find any food.”

She added the garden it was found in was in an area surrounded by agricultural farmland and “there was definitely no sign of the sea or a beach”.

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The centre said the pup, which was found on Wednesday, will now be monitored before it is released into The Wash estuary.