Sammy the seal goes rogue! Fed-up animal bites holidaymaker who was trying to pat her on the head after spotting image of her playfully balancing on a surfboard – leaving him dripping with blood
- Mark and Joanne Tarpey went to see the seal in Baddacombe, Torquay
- ‘Sammy’ bit Mark’s hand as he tried to stroke her after getting his picture taken
- The couple warned of the dangers of approaching Sammy after returning home
A holidaymaker was rushed to A&E with serious bites on his hand after he attempted to pat ‘Sammy the Seal’ on the head at a Devon beauty spot.
Mark and Joanne Tarpey visited Babbacombe in Torquay and said they were looking forward to seeing the friendly female grey seal nicknamed ‘Sammy.’
She has become well-known by fishermen, locals and holidaymakers who see her almost daily at the same spot.
Mark, pictured, and Joanne Tarpey visited Babbacombe in Torquay and were trying to take a picture of the friendly female grey seal nicknamed ‘Sammy’
They left the Cary Arms hotel and headed out to see the seal on the pier where Mark had his photograph taken.
Foolishly he then bent down to try to stroke her on the head and Sammy responded by biting his hand, leaving the steps covered in blood.
Mark’s wounds were treated at Torbay Hospital’s emergency department.
Afterwards the couple returned home to Lancashire and contacted DevonLive to warn others of the dangers of approaching Sammy.
The Seal Project conservation charity which monitors seals at Brixham and Babbacombe said: ‘Unfortunately Sammy has been habituated by human interaction over a sustained period and her natural behaviours have been changed for life.’
Cary Arms assistant operations manager Jack Howell said: ‘There are a couple of seals that come around every day.
‘This is the first time I’ve ever heard of anybody being bitten.
‘Obviously seals are wild animals and we would always advise people not to approach them.’
Mark’s wounds were treated at Torbay Hospital’s emergency department after he then bent down to try to stroke her on the head and Sammy responded by biting his hand
Joanne shared pictures of the wounds on Mark’s fingers and thumb.
She also took a photograph of the seal looking guilty moments after the attack after he’d ‘just covered the steps in blood’.
Joanne said: ‘Mark had his picture taken on the steps and then foolishly with him being so close tried to stroke him.
‘Sammy immediately went for Mark’s hand, we immediately went to A&E. We have now sadly had to abort our holiday and return to Lancashire.’
Earlier this summer a spokesman for The Seal Project said: ‘Today we were at Babbacombe checking on and replacing our signs which remind people why feeding seals is bad.
The Seal Project said Sammy, pictured after biting Mark’s hand, had been spotted swimming to people to see if there was any food, which they described as ‘learnt behaviour and very sad’
‘We were chatting to some local anglers when ‘Sammy’ appeared.
‘Today we observed her identify people on the pier and swim over to see if there was any food for her.
‘This unfortunately, is learnt behaviour and very sad indeed.’
They added: ‘Grey seals are prolific hunters and recognising humans as a food source increases her risk of harm by entanglement (in anglers hooks and line) and strike injury from boats.
Sammy was spotted hitching rides with paddle boarders and even slept on the back of local Buster Cottam’s board for four hours
‘Please remember and share our core message; Give wildlife space. Do not feed wild seals. Be kind.’
This comes as Sammy was spotted hitching rides with paddle boarders and even slept on the back of one local’s board for four hours.
She was pictured on Buster Cottam’s board, who told ‘gentle’ Sammy was similar to a dog, staying in a ‘deep sleep’.
Buster told that while the animals are not aggressive, he was still careful to avoid Sammy’s sharp teeth to avoid him ‘nipping and scratching’ while trying to play.