A seal off the coast of Devon is likely to slowly choke to death due to a ring of plastic stuck around its neck.
The poor seal is thought to have been attracted by the bright red rubbish as something fun to play with, but been unable to escape.
Sarah Greenslade, of the Seal Project is desperate to save the juvenile male grey seal, but he cannot be trapped or tranquilised while still in the water.
Before the charity can help, they must wait for him to come onto land on his own.
Sarah said: ‘There is still a chance it will force it off because he is fit and healthy but the longer it stays on and the more the seal grows the tighter it will get.
‘It could take a long time but it could be fatal.
‘We can’t approach it in the water because it is so fast moving and it is unlikely that it will come onto land. We are monitoring it but there’s not a lot we can do.’
She spotted the seal with the collar on Boxing Day morning, having seen him looking ‘fine’ on Christmas Day, so he must have been caught in it recently.
The piece of plastic pollution is believed to be the discarded seal from a tin of marine paint.
A spokesperson from the British Divers Marine Life Rescue said: ‘Looking at the pictiures it is fit and swimming around but as the plastic gets tighter and tighter it is going to be the end of it.
‘The seal will grow and grow and the plastic around its neck won’t expand and will cut into its blubber.
‘It isn’t going to get out of it by itself; The only chance the seal has is if it comes out of the water. You can’t trap or sedate a seal in the water.’
The UK is home to two types of native seals, the grey seal and common seal, which are both protected species. According to the Mammal Society there are around 120,000 adult grey seals in the UK.
Brixham Harbour is listed as one of the top locations to see seals by Visit South Devon.
‘Being such a haven for fish, it’s no surprise that seals enjoy swimming around Brixham Harbour,’ they said.
‘In fact, it’s one of the places that you’re almost guaranteed to see them! Look out for them resting in the harbour or plodding along the marina hoping to find a discarded fish from the trawlers.’
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