There is something deeply instinctive about wanting to help an animal in trouble on the shore. You see a seal pup alone on the sand, a dolphin in the shallows, a seabird coated in oil, and your first thought is to do something. That instinct is a good one — but the most common mistake well-meaning people make is to push the animal back into the sea. It is almost always the wrong thing to do, and it can turn a survivable situation into a fatal one.

Why "Just Put It Back" Is the Wrong Instinct

A seal hauled out on a British beach is not automatically in distress. Seals come ashore to rest, to digest a meal, to moult, to escape rough weather, and to give birth. A pup lying alone on the sand is often simply waiting while its mother feeds offshore — she may be gone for several hours and will return once people and dogs have moved away.

If you return a healthy pup to the water, you separate it from its mother. It can drown, be swept out on the tide, or be abandoned. If the animal is genuinely sick, injured or exhausted, forcing it back into the sea takes away the only safe place it has to rest and recover, and it will usually re-strand further along the coast in a worse state. The rule is simple: do not push, drag, lift or herd any marine animal back into the sea. Watch it, note the details, and phone for trained help.

Keep Your Distance — and Keep Your Dog Close

Disturbance by people and dogs causes more harm than almost anything else. Seals bite hard and carry bacteria that can cause serious infections in humans, and a frightened animal that flees into the water may be injured by rocks or caught in surf it is too weak to handle.

• Stay at least 100 metres away from seals, and further if the animal lifts its head, looks at you, or starts moving towards the water.
• Keep dogs on a short lead and well back. A single curious dog can drive a resting seal into the sea.
• Keep children close to you and away from the animal, however calm it appears.
• Move slowly and quietly. Never surround an animal or block its route to the water.
• Do not touch, feed, water, cover or attempt to move it.

If you can, stand between the animal and the main approach path. A calm, quiet presence at a distance genuinely discourages other people from crowding in.

What to Note Before You Call

When you ring a rescue line, the person on the other end will need information quickly. Having it ready saves time and helps them decide what equipment and how many people to send.

• Location: a what3words reference is ideal, or a grid reference, postcode, beach name, nearest car park or access point, and which direction along the sand.
• The animal: species if you know it, approximate length, colour, obvious wounds, netting or fishing line around the neck or flippers.
• Condition: is it alert or limp? Is it breathing, and how often? Is it holding its head up, waving a flipper, or lying flat?
• Photographs and video taken from a distance — zoom in rather than walking closer. These help rescuers enormously.
• Timing: when you first spotted it and how long it has been there.
• Other people: whether anyone else is already on the phone, and whether the animal is at risk from the incoming tide.

Who to Call, and What Happens Next

Ring a specialist marine rescue charity. These organisations have trained volunteers, specialist equipment, stretchers, pontoons and vets on call, and most cover the whole UK coast with a 24-hour hotline. The coastguard is also worth alerting for live strandings, large whales, or anything happening in the water near swimmers and paddleboarders. For seabirds and turtles, a local wildlife rescue or your council's wildlife officer can usually point you in the right direction.

Give your notes, then stay by the phone and follow their instructions. Please avoid posting an exact location on social media — well-intentioned crowds can arrive within minutes and make a difficult situation far worse. Once the rescue team is on site, step back and let them work.

While You Wait: Small Actions That Help

• Keep noise down and crowds back. Ask others politely to give the animal space.
• Do not attempt to move, cover or shade the animal unless a rescuer explicitly asks you to.
• For a live-stranded dolphin or whale, only act on a rescuer's instructions: support the animal upright, keep the blowhole clear of water and sand, keep the skin wet with seawater, and shade it from the sun.
• If the animal dies, do not touch the carcass. Report it, as it may be needed for a post-mortem.
• Keep a note of timings and anything that changes — this is genuinely useful data.

A Quick Word on Different Species

Seals: a lone pup is normal. Give it 100 metres and let its mother return. Dolphins, porpoises and whales: a live stranding is a genuine emergency — call immediately. Turtles: mostly seen in the south-west and west, often cold-stunned; they need expert help quickly, so keep them shaded and cool and never return them to the sea yourself. Seabirds caught in oil or line should be placed in a ventilated box in a dark, quiet place and handed to a rescue charity — never attempt to wash or clean them. Jellyfish: leave them alone; if stung, rinse with seawater rather than fresh water and seek medical advice.

Doing nothing rarely feels like help. But keeping people and dogs away, writing down the details, and making one phone call is the most useful thing a member of the public can possibly do — and it gives a stranded animal its best real chance.