SEAL LATEST VICTIM OF PLASTIC MENACE
THIS shocking picture of a severely injured seal reveals the drastic effect plastic waste is having on our oceans. It is the latest story to highlight the impact that plastic is having on our wildlife.
Back in April, images emerged of a swan nesting in a plastic island in the heart of Cardiff.
There have also been issues with plastic littering rivers in Cardiff Bay.
The latest pictures were taken in Pembrokeshire after a young seal was found with plastic tangled around its neck.
The images were captured by Sharon Lawrence, 47, when she was walking below the bridge to Strumble Head Lighthouse.
Sharon, from Fishguard, shared the devastating images on Facebook and said it was so “heartbreaking” to see.
She found the poor pup at around 1.30pm on Friday.
She said: “When I got home (as there’s no mobile phone signal at Strumble) I got advice as to who to contact from the Strumble Head Seawatching Facebook page and rang the Sea Trust to inform them.
“They said that they would pass on the information to their ‘seal guy’ and hopefully get some help for him on the next low tide.
“It was heartbreaking to see the injuries that the plastic netting had caused.
“The poor seal kept raising his flipper to his neck – he must have been in a lot of pain.
“It appeared that in this instance it was caused by some plastic fishing net, but something like this can happen with all types of rubbish and plastic that is thrown away.
“I hope that people are starting to realise the actual impact of these thoughtless acts.”
According to Greenpeace, an estimated 12.7 million tonnes of plastic ends up in our oceans every year. This equates to a truck load of rub- bish being deposited every minute.
The charity says the effect it is having on our ocean is “chilling”.
Large pieces of plastic have been known to choke and entangle turtles and very small pieces can clog the stomaches of creatures who find it easy to mistake the particles for food.
The latest pictures of the poor seal pup in Fishguard shows how the issue continues to be having a big impact on Welsh waters.