Courtesy of SANPARKS and the Addo Elephant National Park I got to overnight on Bird Island on 22 July 2014. On our travel in we spotted this poor seal pup on Black Rock – not having any equipment on board to catch or even to release the poor little bugger from his prison net we could only report his misery and hope that someone else would be in a better position to assist.
One cannot say for sure just how the seal pup in the image below got entangled in the net around it’s neck. I find it hard to believe that it may have got caught in the net and that some fisherman only cut around the net to free it – that is just too cruel to contemplate.
The only other way that it could have become ensnared is if it swam into a discarded piece of net off of a fishing boat or a net that came into the ocean via one of our rivers.
Next time you toss plastic or rubbish into the water think of the long, slow and agonising death you could be causing an innocent animal down the line.
Alan Straton
Latest posts by Alan Straton (see all)
- The Programme for Music Exchange #MEX26 Is Out, Conference Is Hosted by DJ Eazy - 26 October 2026
- The Programme for Music Exchange #MEX26 Is Out, Conference Is Hosted by DJ Eazy - 26 October 2026
- The Household Pest Mystery That Starts in the Roof - 25 October 2026
- The Holiday Souvenir Nobody Wants: Bed Bugs in the Luggage - 25 October 2026
- What Comes Out of a Rug Before the Washing Starts? - 25 October 2026
That is so sad.