A seal carving which was washed away by winter storms has returned to Corrie after the story of its “escape” made national news and sparked a huge hunt.
Clyde captured the hearts of people across the west of Scotland when the owners of Corrie Hotel issued an appeal and put up a reward for his safe return.
The story of the missing seal caught the eye of Tom Scanlon, who ran a computer simulation using marine and meteorological variables to establish the most likely place Clyde might wash up.
Tom’s software, which predicted Bute as the most likely location Clyde would be found, proved remarkably accurate as he was discovered on Lubas Bay beach.
Rodger Meadows, of the Corrie Hotel, took three ferries to reach Bute, fearful Clyde might be washed away. He said: “A guy who has a holiday home on Bute heard the piece on the radio and sent us a pin of the location.
"We knew it was him because there’s not many wooden seals kicking about.
"He needs a bit of TLC as he’s been battered, lost a fin and a bit of his tail but we will be able to get him sorted out."
Corrie-based sculptor Marvin Elliott, who originally carved Clyde, has also assessed the damage.
He said: “The seal can probably be repaired in a week.”
Marvin says Clyde’s future is still undecided as there is talk of possibly retiring him and creating a new carving which could be better secured to its rock.
He said: “Either way, the adventurous seal will be repaired. But there may still be more adventures for Clyde, who knows?"
Clyde has previously broken free from its fastenings and been recovered on the Corrie coast and across the Firth of Clyde at Turnberry.
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