Strangled Seal Swims Free After Rescued from Fishing Gear (VIDEO)

It’s estimated that the ocean is home to between 700,000 to one million species. Yet, much of this life is threatened every day because of trash (the Great Pacific Garbage Patch is alarmingly between 270,000 to  5,800,000 square miles) and human-made devices like fishing nets in addition to harmful human activity including unsustainable and downright cruel fishing practices.

Recently, a seal in the Pleasant Bay area off of Cape Cod found itself caught up in a fishing buoy line. The seal somehow became tangled in the line and, if help did not come in time, it probably would have died of suffocation as the line was wrapped tightly, strangling the animal’s neck.

Thankfully, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) Maine Mammal Rescue and Research team came to the rescue of the seal, and it was set free back into the ocean!

Watch this amazing rescue effort in the video below!