This is the shocking moment a young seal pup who was attempting to have a rest on land was harassed by members of the public.
Footage shows the four-month old young pup, who hauled itself out of the sea at Bridlington in Yorkshire, attempting to escape a crowd of people who had gathered to see the mammal.
One man is seen in the clip attempting to stroke the seal as it attempts to climb a set of steps. The seal appeared to be uncomfortable by the unwanted attention.
The young seal then appears to roll over in what appears to be a sign of exhaustion.
British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), a charity who cares for marine mammals in need of assistance, have now issued a warning for members of the public to say away from the mammal.
The seal appeared to be uncomfortable from the attention from members of the public
The seal appeared to ‘shut down’ after getting to the top of the steps, BDLMR said
The charity said the seal pup used so much energy trying to escape the public that it ‘shut down’ at the top of the steps.
A BDMLR medic monitored the seal for two hours and a barrier was erected to keep people away.
However, the charity said it was still being disturbed by people and was moved to a safe spot to sleep.
The seal had since recovered and made its own way back into the sea.
A spokeswoman for BDMLR added: ‘Sadly one of our Marine Mammal Medics arrived on scene to a report of an exhausted seal pup hauling out away from a rough tide, with members of the public following it up the steps and crowding.
‘This young seal was only around four months old and is using up vital energy to get away to safety. It is now being monitored by our medics to ensure it gets some rest.’
The spokeswoman continued: ‘We must stress Do not touch, pour water, chase, or approach seals.
The four-month old young seal pup, who hauled itself out of the sea at Bridlington in Yorkshire
‘They are not cute toys for our amusement. They’re wild mammals that deserve peace and rest, not to be crowded around for photographs.
‘This seal had nowhere to go as it was surrounded, so instead opted to ‘shut down’ and try to sleep.
‘At worst, a seal will inflict a nasty bite which requires weeks of treatment and potential complications.
‘We are immensely grateful for those who found some security fencing to physically block the seal from being approached to allow it to rest.
‘This is a fantastic, intuitive step to take for an animal, well done!’
The seal nicknamed Lizzie was resting at Bridlington Harbour last August when it was harassed
The charity previously issued a warning last August after a female grey seal, which had been resting on slipways in Bridlington, was harassed by members of the public.
The seal, nicknamed Lizzie, had pulled herself out of the sea to rest at Bridlington Harbour.
But BDMLR said some people had been invading her space with children throwing stones at her and adults poking and prodding her sides.
Volunteer Emily Mayman said: ‘She is a wild mammal that deserves better than this.’