Seal Dies In Ravenscar After Tangled Fishing Line Stops Him Breathing

A seal has died in Ravenscar after a fishing line was tangled tightly around his mouth that he couldn't breathe.

Concerned members of the public contacted the RSPCA last weekend (20th September) after spotting the seal in distress in the village.

RSPCA Inspector Lucy Green and animal collection officer (ACO) Martin Whiteley arrived at the beach to find the seal.

Lucy said: “When we arrived to find the seal, we were met with a very sorry sight. The poor animal was clearly in a lot of pain and really suffering, and so we secured him into a specially designed seal bag and carried him back up the beach and cliffs to take him to a vet as soon as we could.

“We could clearly see the fishing line was wrapped so tightly around his mouth that it was cutting into the skin, and had clearly been like that for several days - he must have been in so much pain, it was incredibly upsetting to see.”

Lucy and Martin transported the seal to a vet, but despite best efforts to save him, the vet made the decision to euthanise the seal, due to the extent of the injuries caused by the wire which had made it too difficult for the seal to breathe. He had also developed a severe infection in his nostrils and ear canal.

Martin said: “To think that this beautiful wild animal lost his life due to somebody failing to clear up after themselves is devastating. This awful situation could have been so easily prevented if whoever was using the fishing wire had just bothered to collect it up and dispose of it responsibly.”

Just last month, the RSPCA revealed that the number of reports of wildlife injured by angling litter such as fishing line, weights and hooks, rose by 48% between May and June this year. The charity says it suspects that the easing of lockdown put in place by the pandemic, along with a spell of good weather, has seen a rise in people taking up outdoor activities such as fishing, causing an excess of discarded angling litter.

The RSPCA received 393 calls about fishing litter across England & Wales since the beginning of the year, with 97% of those calls made between May, June and July.

Adam Grogan, Head of Wildlife at the RSPCA, said: “This jump in the number of calls about animals injured by fishing litter since lockdown eased is a real cause for concern. We’re seeing a number of cases where wild animals like gulls, owls and swans are getting their wings and legs tangled up in fishing line, sharp hooks caught in their beaks, and suffering all sorts of awful injuries, sometimes with tragic consequences.

“Our inspectors and officers are working hard to rescue as many of these stricken animals as they can and where needed transport them to a vet or to our specialist wildlife centres. Thankfully, many can be saved but they may require a lot of care, treatment and rehabilitation. Others aren’t so lucky and sometimes their injuries are just too severe for them to survive.

“It’s tragic for animal lovers like us to see the effects of discarded litter like this, especially when there is such a simple solution: clear up your litter and take it home with you. We’re particularly concerned that this rise in angling litter injuries may be due to new and inexperienced anglers taking up the activity, as most experienced anglers are very responsible when it comes to wildlife and taking care of their equipment. Our recent blog with the Angling Trust highlighted this issue.”

The RSPCA says it only takes one careless person to endanger the life of an animal. They are urging all anglers to follow the Angling Trust’s Take 5 campaign and make use of the recycling scheme to dispose of waste tackle and line.

Top tips include:

● Take old fishing line and spools to recycling points in local tackle shops or fisheries. Your nearest recycling point can be found on the Anglers National Line Recycling Scheme (ANLRS) website. Alternatively, old fishing line can be posted to the address on the ANLRS page.

● Be aware of surrounding trees – discarded line caught in foliage causes problems for wildlife.

● Don’t leave bait unattended – always remove it from the hook and put it in a safe place.

● Use a bait box.

● Dispose of any litter you see, even if it’s not your own.

For more information about disposing of fishing litter properly please visit the RSPCA’s website here.