Cornish seal in life threatening situation due to frisbee caught around its neck

A seal has been spotted off the coast of St Ives Harbour in Cornwall with a plastic frisbee caught around his neck.

British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) have said the seal could be in a "life threatening situation" as a result.

The BDMLR received a call about the seal entangled in the frisbee on Sunday evening.

Dan Jarvis, Area Coordinator for Cornwall and Scilly at BDMLR told ITV News West Country: "The difficulty is with seals in the water are they are incredibly difficult to catch because they are so quick and mobile.

The frisbee could cause serious harm to the seal if it isn't removed: "This is a potentially life threatening situation for any seal that's in an entanglement it cannot get out of.

"Over time that entangling material will eventually wear through the skin, opening up an increasingly large injury which will of course be painful and lead to potential infection.

Unfortunately, this is a scenario that is becoming more frequent, not just in this region but around the country: "We regularly get calls about entangled seals, but sadly the large majority of them are in places that are completely inaccessible to people, either down the bottom of cliffs or on tiny rocks offshore where there's no chance of us getting close to them."

"We only have an option to catch these animals safely on land" he said.

Dan said this serves as a stark reminder about keeping beaches clean: "Any litter that gets into the marina environment can cause harm to marine animals whether it's through entanglement or ingestion, so always take your rubbish home with you".

If you spot the seal please report it to the BDMLR hotline on 01825 765546.