An elderly seal was harassed and pelted with stones as it lay dying on a Norfolk beach.
Police and animal welfare officers had to be called in to protect the seal from beachgoers on Great Yarmouth beach on Tuesday.
But they were unable to save it and the seal is understood to have died at sea later the same day.
The seven-foot mammal was first spotted on the beach at around midday.
People were seen hurling stones at the seal, while parents were seen taking pictures of their children within a foot of the mammal as it lay on the beach.
Dan Goldsmith, chairman of Marine and Wildlife Rescue, said: ‘It’s absolutely exacerbating.
‘People were picking up stones and throwing them at the seal. Whether that was to get it to move I don’t know.
‘Police were constantly needing to tell people to move back – they were getting within a foot of the seal.
‘People don’t appreciate that it should be left to rest.
‘They just want to get photos and put their children there to get pictures with it.’
Mr Goldsmith said at around 4.30pm the seal took itself back to the water’s edge and was taken out to sea by the tide, where ‘it may well have died’.
Seals congregate in large numbers on the Norfolk coast are often spotted at beaches at Great Yarmouth, Horsey, and further along the coast.
They often attract large numbers of visitors but every year there are calls for people to respect the mammals, remember they are wild animals and to keep their distance.
An RSPCA spokesperson said that the charity was ‘shocked’ to hear reports of people throwing stones at the seal.
They added: ‘It’s really important that members of the public stay away from the seal as getting close is likely to cause this very poorly animal a lot of distress.
‘We know that seals in the wild are an incredible sight to see, but people must remember that these are wild animals.
‘We share our beaches with seals and have to learn to respect nature and enjoy from a distance, and never interfere or get too close to them.’
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