Seahorse nursed back to health after seagull dropped it in garden

A seahorse that nearly died after a seagull dropped it in a garden several miles from the coast has been nursed back to health.

8:45AM BST 15 May 2009

Karen Warr was on her way to the shops when she glanced down and saw the five inch long creature on her lawn.

Spotting it was still breathing, she carefully scooped it up with a fish slice and placed it in a bowl of tepid water.

Mrs Warr, 46, from Weymouth, Dorset, contacted her local Sea Life Centre and staff collected the endangered creature and took it back with them.

The long-snouted seahorse, which has been named Pegasus, has now made a full recovery.

It is believed the creature was taken from the sea at Weymouth by a seagull which dropped it three miles away over Mrs Warr's house.

"I was just popping out to buy a paper and I looked down and saw this funny object by the pathway," said Mrs Warr.

"I got a bit closer I saw it was a seahorse. They are very distinctive.

"I did wonder what on earth it was doing there but I could see it was still breathing so I dashed inside and the only thing I could think of to pick it up with was a fish slice.

"I put it in the bowl I use for my scales and filled it with tepid water. It was still breathing but wasn't moving much, it must have been in shock.

"I called the Sea Life Centre because they are only down the road and somebody came out to see me.

"We both agreed it must have been dropped by a seagull."

It is not known how long Pegasus had been out of water for but Mrs Warr put her pet cat out three hours before she found it and "it couldn't have been there then otherwise he would have eaten it."

The green and silver creature is an adult female and has been put in a dark quarantine tank at the Sea Life Centre to aid its recovery.

Display supervisor Claire Little said they transferred the seahorse into salivated water gradually to avoid shocking it.

She said: "They can go into shock if they are not treated carefully.

"We brought it back to the park to be assessed in our biological services unit for several hours.

"She seems fine now but we will continue to monitor her while she is in quarantine for the next 28 days."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/5326724/Seahorse-nursed-back-to-health-after-seagull-dropped-it-in-garden.html