Pregnant endangered seal is tortured by plastic dog frisbee cutting into her neck that she cannot get rid of, wildlife volunteer says
A pregnant endangered seal was spotted with a plastic dog frisbee stuck over her head and 'cutting into her neck', prompting calls for pet owners to stop buying the 'potentially deadly' toys.
Animal charity volunteer Adge Lane was seal watching near The Little Orme in Llandudno, North Wales, when the 'tortured' beached mammal caught his eye.
The retired 72-year-old quickly began taking pictures that show the endangered Atlantic grey looking glum with a 10-inch wide plastic frisbee tightly wedged underneath her chin.
A pregnant endangered seal was spotted with a plastic dog frisbee stuck over her head and 'cutting into her neck'. Animal charity volunteer Adge Lane spotted the animal when he was seal watching near The Little Orme in Llandudno, North Wales
Other images of the seal show her swimming with just her head surrounded by the white dog toy above the water.
Adge believes it is impossible for the 200kg seal to remove the ring as it is likely to have dropped over her nose when she was younger and now is stuck as the creature has grown around it.
The British Divers Marine Life Rescue volunteer claims such an injury could suffocate the seal as she grows, cause issues for her giving birth and even cause her to starve, cutting her 25-year life expectancy painfully short.
Adge posted his photos on Facebook, after the incident on September 2, to emphasise the danger of discarded plastic.
British Divers Marine Life Rescue volunteer Adge claims the injuries suffered as a result of the plastic frisbee getting stuck on the seal's neck could suffocate the animal as she grows, cause issues for her giving birth and even cause her to starve, cutting her 25-year life expectancy painfully short
The seal was seen swimming with her pals with just her head and the white plastic frisbee above the water
Adge Lane, who spotted the seal near Llandudno, North Wales, was fortunately still being accepted by the other seals and had not yet been fought off
Adge believes it is impossible for the 200kg seal to remove the ring as it is likely to have dropped over her nose when she was younger and now is stuck as the creature has grown around it
He has since pleaded with dog owners to stop buying toy frisbees with a hole in the centre.
Adge, from Urmston, Greater Manchester, and moved to North Wales four years, said: 'These dog frisbees and sea life, it doesn’t mix. I’d urge dog owners not to buy them, particularly if you’re near the coast.
'It makes you angry because dogs don’t differentiate between those with a hole in and a ball or a solid frisbee, but at least those aren’t going to get entangled and interfere with wildlife.
'Nobody’s throwing them in the water purposefully because it can go anywhere like a frisbee, but I just wouldn’t entertain buying one at all. I don’t think they should be sold to be honest.'
Adge is an animal charity volunteer from Urmston, Greater Manchester. The 72-year-old grandad-of-four has called on dog owners to stop buying the 'potentially deadly' plastic toys as dogs cannot differentiate between a frisbee with a hole in or a solid plastic frisbee
The grandfather-of-four said if dog owners knew where their toy ended up they would be 'mortified', adding 'but they don't know. That's why they just need to be careful'.
He said: 'If the ring bites so far into its neck it won’t be able to eat and it’ll die, but if it’s already fully grown maybe it could go years with that on.
'It’ll have gone onto them when they were young or fairly thin, then as they grow it just bites and bites into their neck. It’ll be very painful and it’ll be impossible to get it over her head.'We think it’s a pregnant female, so it might even interrupt with her pups, that’s another horrible thought. There’s very little that can be done. There’s no real way it can be rescued.
'All we can do is stop it from happening in the first place. It’s a 200kg huge piece of blubber and you’d need six-eight people and even then it’d be like a bucking bronco.
'[The frisbee] stuck out to me straight away. It’s still been accepted by the other seals, luckily. It’s not been fought off.
'Atlantic grey seals are endangered worldwide, but I’d say 40 per cent of the world’s Atlantic grey seals live in UK waters, so we’ve got to look after them.'
Adge took pictures that show the endangered Atlantic grey looking glum with a 10-inch wide plastic frisbee tightly wedged underneath her chin
Adge volunteers every day with British Divers Marine Life Rescue to monitor the local seal colonies to help prevent them being disturbed.
The retired manufacturing machinist knows the seal was in the area until at least Sunday, and he hopes she will remain there so he can keep an eye on her.
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