A wildlife enthusiast from Suffolk has his fingers crossed that a seal pup he found stranded on the beach at Thorpeness will find its way back to open waters.

East Anglian Daily Times: David Cain with his dog LorcaDavid Cain with his dog Lorca (Image: Archant)

David Cain was walking his dog Lorca towards Sizewell at about 10am on Friday when he spotted the animal at the bottom of a cliff.

The 42-year-old, from Marlesford, called the RSPCA for advice, and they suggested it would be best to leave it for 24 hours to see if any of its companions returned for it.

Mr Cain, a wildlife enthusiast, said: “It looked as if it was calling out to another seal but I had a good look around and there was no other seal about at all.”

“It was amazing. I watched it for about 10-15 minutes,” he added.

A number of seals have been spotted on Suffolk’s shores in recent years. In 2011, one was even seen in the River Orwell near Stoke Bridge, Ipswich.

But Mr Cain said he has never seen one in that area before.

He intends to return to the scene on Saturday to see it is still there.

And while he admitted he would love to see it again, he added: “I am kind of hoping it is not there and it has been reunited with its family and moved on.”