A seal who was found close to death after fishing wire got stuck around her neck has been nursed back to good health.
The grey seal called Earth looks completely different to when rescuers from Natureland Seal Sanctuary in Skegness first found her at Gibraltar Point on May 23 with wire cutting into her neck.
And after just a few weeks recuperating at Natureland&apos;s seal hospital, Earth has already been released back into the North Sea.
It is likely she will always bear the scar left from the wire cut deep into her neck.
Matt Yeadon from Natureland said.“It was only a matter of time before she starved to death or the net cut into her throat, with imminent death.
“Leaping in and changing that and seeing such a quick change in a month was a miracle she did so well.
It is now hoped Earth will live a long and happy life, as female grey seals living up to 30 years in the wild.
And her release touched the hearts of many people who follow the seal sanctuary on Facebook.
“A beautiful video of such a wonderful event,” wrote one woman.
Another added: “Emotional seeing Earth’s release. We saw her a couple of weeks ago and fell in love with her.
“Happy to see her go, but sad at the same time. Hope she stays safe. Such a special little girl.
Earth isn&apos;t the only grey seal to have been hurt by discarded fishing equipment and waste on the Lincolnshire coast.
She is one of the most popular seals at Donna Nook, where hundreds of seals come to every winter to give birth and to mate.
The grey seal first arrived at Donna Nook with a rope around her neck in 2000, the rope was carefully removed but it left a deep scar. And this is how she was given her name.
Ropeneck returns to the same spot every year to give birth, usually a round the same time.
The only year she did not return was 2006.
Last year, she gave birth to her 17th pup.
She is so popular, she has her own information board at the spot she comes to every year.
Communications officer at Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, Rachel Shaw, said: "Sadly, it’s not unusual to see seals with similar scars or caught in plastic. It’s a reminder that we should reduce the amount of plastic we use, and ensure litter is disposed of correctly."