A baby seal pup was rescued from a field in Lincolnshire, having waddled over from a nearby creek into a field of cows.

She was saved by a birdwatcher Ian Ellis, who noticed a group of cows acting strangely around a boggy patch of the field in Frampton Marshes, while looking through his telescope. "It was the way the cows were so inquisitive that made me look," he said.

He saw the five-day-old pup was without its mother and contacted experts at the county's RSPB reserve at Natureland Seal Sanctuary in Skegness. Staff advised him on how to move the seal and came to collect her later.

The 30-strong herd of cows, which gathered around the seal were gently nudging her but caused no harm to the pup.

Director of Natureland, Richard Yeadon, told the East Lindsey Target: "We think she got separated from mum and got caught in the tide and then became stranded when the tide went back out again.

"Cows are quite inquisitive so they were pushing her around a bit, so she wasn't hurt at all.

"Once we got her back to Natureland she went straight into the Seal Hospital to begin treatment.

"Her main problem is that at only five days old she was orphaned and therefore had not fed for a while, she had lost quite a lot of weight and was dehydrated.

"We gave her rehydration fluid through a stomach tube and are now giving her high fat herrings which will help her gain back the weight."

The pup which is a harbour seal, was named 'Celebration' in recognition of Skegness Natureland's 50th anniversary, will be released into the wild when she reaches around 60-70lbs and is able to feed in the water by herself.

In the past half a century Natureland has helped to rehabilitate over 700 seals back into the sea.

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