Angler forced to exit pursued by seals is plucked to safety from cliff
An angler had to be rescued after climbing a cliff to escape a herd of angry seals. The man was walking along the beach at Green Stane, near Eyemouth, Berwickshire, when he came across approximately 50 seals and their pups, who became agitated and turned aggressive.
He scrambled up the cliff and became trapped three quarters of the way up. Realising his plight, he called the emergency services.
Four coastguard rescue teams were called out, along with police and a lifeboat, in the incident on Friday night.
They used rope rescue techniques to lower a coastguard officer 75ft down the cliff, who was then able to descend with the man to the lifeboat waiting below.
Senior coastguard operations officer Jonathan Mustard said: “Aggressive seals are not a common occurrence and in this case they may have been defending their natural habitat and their young.”
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency said: “He only had 16% battery left on his mobile left so it was lucky he could get through to us.
“He said he had finished fishing and the seals were chasing him.
“He had a head torch and waterproofs – all the right things – but he had to go up the cliff because of the seals.”
The agency said that it was after 10pm by the time the lifeboat reached the scene, adding: “It was a bit of an ordeal for him.
“He was in very good spirits afterwards – just suffering a bit from the cold.”
The man did not require further treatment.
The agency said: “Seals can carry a nasty bite. Fortunately, he was not bitten.”