Salmon-munching seal remains free

The seal will be moved away from the salmon stocks

A seal which has been munching its way through salmon stocks in River Annan in Dumfriesshire has evaded capture.

River managers had wanted to shoot the seal - nicknamed Sammy by locals - but the plan sparked a public outcry.

Instead, an operation to capture Sammy and relocate him to waters where he would do less harm to angling interests was launched on Thursday.

However, they failed in their efforts to move Sammy from his current home near Chapelcross power station.

He was first spotted back in autumn in the area, which is popular with walkers, and he has become a local attraction.

Drastic action

However, it is also a valuable angling spot and river managers, concerned for stocks, first made plans to solve the problem before Christmas.

They obtained a licence which allows them to shoot him, if necessary.

The level of public outrage forced a re-think and experts from the Sea Life Centre at Oban were drafted in to try to catch Sammy and take him off to a new home well away from the salmon river.

But their quarry was in hiding when they tried to carry out their plan on Thursday.

A number of reported sightings saw the operation move up and down the river, but Sammy only showed his face once the team had packed up its equipment for the day.

There will be further attempts to capture the seal next Thursday and Friday.

A young grey seal pup is recovering in an animal rescue centre in Orkney after spending three weeks trapped and unable to move on an uninhabited island.

The seal had crawled into a shed beside the lighthouse on the island of Copinsay off the east coast of Orkney.

It became stuck fast in a pool of tar which had leaked from a barrel being stored in the building.

The animal was found by chance when two farmers began moving sheep onto the island.

Ross Flett from the Orkney Seal Rescue Centre said the seal was severely dehydrated but otherwise unhurt and that the main task was to try to remove the hardened tar from its fur.

The seal has been named "Tara McAdam".