When a rescue team noticed a group of Cape fur seal pups tangled in debris, they knew they had to help. However, they weren’t expecting one of these little animals to get so attached to them! In a heartwarming video on social media, rescuers from Ocean Conservation Namibia traveled by boat to reach a seal colony hanging out near the shore. Among these beautiful creatures, several babies were being dangerously strangled by plastic and other harmful materials!
Videos by InspireMore
Of course, these seal pups had no idea that the humans were here to rescue them. As soon as the two men landed on shore, the animals scattered in fear. Thankfully, though, these skilled conservationists were able to quickly capture the babies who needed their help. Then, one by one, they removed the trash from their bodies.
In the video, we get a closer look at the painful injuries these poor baby seals were dealing with. Most of them had stringy debris wrapped so tightly around their necks, it was digging into their skin! Taking great care not to hurt them further, the rescue team was able to cut the garbage off the seal pups. These critters lost no time scrambling back into the water!
When the rescue team got to the final seal pup, they found the poor animal entangled in a piece of fishing line. However, once they cut the string from their body, the little creature didn’t seem to want to leave! While the others had run away immediately, this one stayed behind and let one of the humans pet them for a little bit. In fact, the man had to actually push the seal away from him! Eventually, though, the baby scuttled off to join their friends.
This video is cute, but rescuers warn that “Seals aren’t pets.”
Ocean Conservation Namibia reminded us that, even though a seal pup might seem friendly, that doesn’t mean the rescue team should get attached. These are wild creatures, and they need to remain that way.
“Some seals have a completely different reaction to the rescue, and in rare occasions like on this day, they seem calm and stay around, as if they wanted to hang out for a while,” read the post. “Seals aren’t pets and we never encourage unnecessary interaction, but we still enjoy human moments like this one very much.”
We’re so glad that this rescue team was able to save these precious seal pups!
You can find the source of this story’s featured image here.
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