Featured Image Credit: MARC LAWRENCE
By Sarah Sharkey
One lucky seal was recently cut free of a potentially deadly net of the east coast of Tasmania. The first report of the distressed fur seal were about two weeks before the team was able to cut him free. The reason it took so long to free him was because he was very difficult to capture.
DPIPWE (Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment) has a Marine Conservation Program and by working with St Helens Parks and Wildlife field center, the team was able to successfully free this young seal.
Sam Thalmann, DPIPWE marine biologist, said, “The local community and Parks and Wildlife Service staff provided great assistance by keeping us updated on the seal’s movements, which enabled us to build up a good picture of the seal’s behavior and haul-out patterns.”
According to Thalmann, the entanglement may have caused the fur seal’s death if not removed. He said this about the netting, “The entanglement was starting to cut through the skin surface and could have resulted in a slow and painful death for the seal had it remained.”
The fur seal was last seen swimming out towards the open ocean, enjoying its freedom.
Ways to prevent future seal (and other wildlife) entanglements involve keeping our oceans clean. There is an astounding amount of trash floating in our ocean and it is harming the wildlife that live there. Please try to dispose of your own debris properly.
If you see a seal, whale, turtle, or other kind of distressed wildlife, then please contain the local authorities to come and rescue the animal.
Learn more from our source.