Want to help?
A couple of incidents recently brought to The Ambler team’s attention, highlighted that it might be a good idea to add some useful numbers to our mobile phone contacts list.
A seal pup was discovered on the beach at Hauxley. A local man told us: “I was walking my dog and I found a poor little seal pup, all alone. I could see it had some damage to its side – it looked like a hole and I wondered if it had been shot. I spoke to a lady nearby and she had been watching it for ages, she was worried too. I know you’re not supposed to go near them or let dogs near them, but I didn’t want it to suffer. I didn’t know what to do for the best.”
At the Community Forum the subject of irresponsible dog owners came up. “The dog mess on the pier is terrible”. “When you see the owner not pick the mess up – I don’t know if you’re supposed to call the dog warden. I don’t even know how to get hold of the dog warden.”
We have put together a short list of numbers you may want to put into your mobile phone contacts.
Via twitter, David Steel, Head Warden of the National Trust Farne Islands told us, “Contacting RSPCA is a good move if its injured. Seals LOVE to be out of the water, so not unusual to find them on beaches!”
To contact the dog warden, ring the county council or check their website. Visit the main site: www.northumberland.gov.uk and type “animal welfare service” into the search box. Their customer service number is 0845 600 6400 if you have anything to report such as dog fouling or fly tipping.
If you see anti-social behaviour – maybe underage drinking, or people causing damage, you can report the incidents anonymously. Call 03456 043043. CSO Darin Fawcett told The Ambler “You don’t have to give your name. We do encourage people to report incidents because then we can follow them up.”
Update on the seal pup – the RSPCA called a vet who came out and examined the seal. The vet did not think the injuries were serious so left it alone. Next morning, after a very high tide, the seal had gone.
