A seal called Freddie Mercury has sadly died after being attacked by an 'out of control' dog in south-west London.
The seal was named after the Queen singer after entertaining people near Hammersmith Bridge in Barnes, having arrived in the area last month.
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He became something of a national treasure after making an appearance on This Morning and other news channels, with a fundraiser for the animal saying he 'brought much needed joy and smiles' to the community.
However, distressing images from the weekend showed the 'serious' injuries he suffered after being attacked by a dog, with the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) confirming that poor Freddie has since had to be euthanised.
BDMLR said it sent medics to treat Freddie's wounds, which included a bite to his right flipper, with further x-rays revealing he suffered a broken bone, dislocation and damage to his joints, ligaments and nerves.
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Because of this, the charity said, it became 'impossible' to treat the seal and return him to the wild.
A statement said: "We contacted a number of marine mammal veterinarians in the UK and the Netherlands, including an orthopaedic surgeon, and sadly based on their experiences the decision is that he needed to be euthanised for his welfare.
"We would be unable to release a seal back into the wild with one flipper, if amputation was an option, as we have a firm policy on not putting animals into captivity, and the seal's welfare must be put first and foremost."
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Alan Knight OBE, CEO of BDMLR, said: "Freddie was a wild seal and after the ferocious attack on Sunday he suffered a serious broken and dislocated flipper.
"We contacted one of the UK's leading orthopaedic surgeons, and he said that unfortunately the only option was to euthanise the seal."
An update on the BDMLR Facebook page thanked those involved in Freddie's rescue, and for the 'huge outpouring of support' that followed.
It said: "We are all absolutely gutted to hear about the extent of the injuries Freddie suffered, and highlights yet again the serious problems that can arise when humans and dogs encounter wild animals.
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"We hope that his story will go a long way to helping educate people to look up and follow the appropriate guidelines for how to behave respectfully around wild animals and not cause disturbance or worse to them."
The post added: "All we can hope now is that people can learn from this and help keep our wildlife safe."
A Facebook message from South Essex Wildlife Hospital, which helped treat Freddie, also said: "Please folks do not go near seals and always, always, keep dogs on leads and under control."
Featured Image Credit: British Divers Marine Life Rescue
Topics: UK News, News, Animals