A seal pup rescued from a farmer’s field in Lancashire, was among a list of RSPCA's most heartwarming tales of 2023.

Blue Monday is reportedly the most depressing day of the year and in a bid to banish the blues, the RSPCA revealed some of the most uplifting stories of animal rescue.

Dermot Murphy, RSPCA inspectorate commissioner from the animal charity’s frontline rescuers, said:  “We know that many believe Blue Monday to be one of the days people find most difficult.

"But we hope showcase how animal lovers have helped us help so many animals over the last year and beyond will put a smile on people's faces this Blue Monday. 

“For 200 years, the RSPCA has been working tirelessly to bring animals to safety and give them the expert treatment and compassion they deserve - but we can’t do that without the support of fellow animal lovers. 

"We’re asking animal lovers to join the winter rescue by donating to help rescue teams reach the thousands of animals who desperately need them.”

In January last year, the grey seal was spotted about a kilometre (0.6 miles) away from the River Ribble near the Capitol Centre in Walton-le-Dale, Preston.

It appears the seal had wandered across three farmers fields before he was spotted by a member of the public who alerted the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) and the RSPCA as well as the practice manager from the nearby Vets4Pets.

RSPCA animal rescue officer Kelly Nix, was sent to the scene and assisted the BDMLR in safely containing the seal in a cage and then sought advice from the charity’s Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre in Cheshire.

She said: “The seal had come from the river - which is 18 miles (29km)  inland from the coast - but this is not unusual and seals are spotted in our waterways and will happily find their own way back to the sea.

“I spoke to specialists at our centre who were concerned that about putting him back in the river due to the amount of dog walkers in the area as their pets could spook the seal causing him to travel further inland

“So we took the seal, who looked really healthy, to the RNLI base in Fleetwood and we released him into the sea there. The seal was a bit reluctant to go in the water at first so had to gently encourage him.

“Then off he went into the sea - it was so heart-warming to see. I am not sure why he came so far inland but seals have been spotted in the river here before. It seems he then got out for a wander and must have lost his way so it was a good job his predicament was spotted.”