The amazing river adventures of Freddie the Seal who won the hearts of Teddington residents earlier this year have been turned into a book due to be published next month, Nub News has learned.

Co-authors Alison Kelly and Matt Millard were so entranced by the gripping story of the seal named Freddie Mercury that they spent two months tracking his background, tracing his remarkable journey from the Netherlands to the River Thames until his sad death after a dog attack near Hammersmith.

"We had been following Freddie's antics on the TV and the news, but we were so saddened by the dog attack. We couldn't really understand why it had happened and why seals didn't have more protection," said Alison.

"I started to wonder where he had come from and did a bit of research and found out he had been quite far, from the Netherlands, to France, to the UK. He went where all the fish were."

The 50-page book contains stunning exclusive photographs of Freddie and original illustrations of his adventurous life, including his encounter with a fishing lure at Teddington Lock .

The authors hope to highlight the importance of better protecting wildlife in the Thames as the water becomes cleaner and increasingly attracts creatures such as seals, dolphins and most recently a young minke whale.

A map using the data gathered from Freddie's electronic tag charts his journey from a beach in Holland through France to Teddington and Richmond.

Various animal organisations have contributed stories, including an animal protection league in Calais, France, which found Freddie stranded on a famous WW1 beach near Dunkirk.

Profits will go towards creating hardback copies of the book which the pair hope to release soon, as well as helping them write similar books and tell other interesting animal stories.

They will also be donating to the four organisations that helped rescue Freddie during his short life: Zeehondencentrum, LPA du Calais, BDMLR, and the South Essex Wildlife Hospital.

"The reason we're getting so many more seals and porpoises is because of the Thames Tideway, which is making London's water cleaner," Alison said. "It's really important to shine a light on it now, as if there's going to be more wildlife in the Thames then more seals like Freddie won't be protected.

"The aim is to get signage up telling people what to do if they encounter a seal, and to keep their dogs on leads in particular areas. Hopefully the government will pass a motion, protecting seals like the deer in Richmond Park."

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Teddington remembers Freddie the seal

In her foreword to the book Alison writes: "We spent the last year creating the first in a series of children's books called Duck Story: The Lost Eagle.

"We then had a bit of a break before we started work on our next book, and after watching what happened to Freddie we were really saddened by his death and wanted to do something about it.

"We wondered where Freddie had come from so we decided to do a bit of research into him. We found out that he'd been rescued four times in three different countries.

"First, he'd been found on a beach in the Netherlands and then on a World War II beach in Dunkirk, prior to coming to the U.K.

"As we looked into his journey and started mapping it out, we discovered so many interesting details; places he'd been, people he'd inspired, and the wonderful organisations and people who came together time and again to help rescue Freddie such as the British Divers Marine Life Rescue, Zeehondencentrum and South Essex Wildlife Hospital.

"It felt like we were meant to bring Freddie's story to life. Every time we needed a specific photo or piece of information, out of the blue someone we'd contacted weeks before, or someone we'd never even spoken to, would reach out and give us exactly what was missing.

"We think Freddie liked the fish in the Thames and perhaps that's why he stayed so long!

"Whilst doing our research, we also found out about the Thames Tideway Tunnel, a 15-mile super sewer that, when it becomes operational in 2025, will clean up the water in the Thames making it more appealing to wildlife and allowing the city and its inhabitants to sustain a rich, diverse ecology.

"But as the river gets cleaner, more tragic stories like Freddie's and, more recently, the minke whale, will likely occur.

"We'd like to help raise awareness of the organisations that work tirelessly to rescue these animals every day and, encourage people to seek out wildlife responsibly.

"Our aim with the book is to keep Freddie's memory alive and hopefully, encourage the government to better protect seals and other wildlife in the river."

The eBook will be released on Tuesday 1 June and available to buy on Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Google Play Books, Lulu and Smashwords.

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