Emergency services were called to an area on the west coast of the island after reports that human remains had been found.

The area was cordoned off and further searches were undertaken. While the initial bones discovered did appear to be human, additional remains later found led to the conclusion that they were most likely those of a seal.

However, the member of the public who alerted emergency services has been praised for reporting the discovery.

Posting on social media, the Isle of Man Coastguard said: ‘Peel Coastguard Rescue Team and the duty officer responded to a report from a member of the public of possible human remains on a beach on the west coast of the Island.

‘Officers attended alongside colleagues from the Isle of Man Constabulary to investigate. Our role was to locate the remains, secure the site, and preserve evidence while awaiting the arrival of a police scenes of crime officer.

‘Initial bones found at the scene appeared potentially human. However, further searching thankfully located additional bones in the same area that were more consistent with those of a marine mammal.’

Further expert opinion was sought to confirm the remains were not human and were more likely from a marine mammal.

The coastguard added: ‘To confirm this [that the remains were not human], images were sent to a UK-based pathologist who verified that the remains were not human. Local marine life expert Dr Lara Howe further confirmed that the bones were most likely from a seal.

‘We would like to thank the member of the public for reporting this. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.’

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