Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue was called to Cleethorpes Beach yesterday afternoon after concerned beachgoers reported what appeared to be a seal in distress.
A team of volunteers, including a marine mammal vet, quickly responded to the call. From a distance, the object did look convincingly seal-like, but a closer look revealed it was not an animal at all.
“It was a rock. A very healthy, very stationary, very unbothered… rock,” the team shared with humour in a Facebook post.
Embracing the mix-up, the team named the object “Dwayne,” in a nod to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. They added that the tide has since “returned Dwayne to the estuary – presumably to continue their important work of sitting very still.”
This isn’t the first time the team has been called to investigate a seal sighting that turned out to be something else. In 2023, volunteers were dispatched after a beachgoer reported an unresponsive seal which turned out to be a seal-shaped piece of driftwood.
Advice on dealing with seal sightings can be found here.
(Image: Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue)
Part of the Gi Grimsby News team since 2020.