Unreasonably harsh treatment for the seal, I think. Nervous young thing just wriggles up onto the beach for a bit peace and quiet, and maybe clear his throat. Some odd creature with long dangly, gangling limbs lollops up and surprises him. Gets bitten. Well, he's hardly going to defend himself with those stumpy little flippers. What happens next? Extraordinary rendition to Fairlight Cove, the Guantanamo Bay of East Sussex. Even as you read this, those moist sad eyes are peering out from the top of an orange jumpsuit, somewhere near Hastings.
