Concern for seal with neck in mystery object at Anglesey

Animal rescuers are appealing for sightings of a seal with a mystery object stuck around its neck amid concern for its welfare.

It has been spotted several times along the coast at Cemlyn Bay in Anglesey.

The British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDML) said volunteers would help the seal if they were alerted to sightings.

"This isn't the only animal in this situation and it is one of the biggest issues that we are facing," said help group field support officer Dan Jarvis.

"We know where it has been in the last couple of days but part of the issue is that seals from north Wales have been known to travel across to Ireland, south west England, up to Scotland and even to France.

"We are asking people to keep an eye out across that whole area so we can hopefully try to do something for it.

"Our biggest concern is that it might cause an infection."

The help group is currently on the hunt for a seal in a similar predicament in the Outer Hebrides.

Mr Jarvis said: "There are a number of these animals that we see a couple of times and then don't see them again before we can help them.

"We often don't find out what happened to them."

On Tuesday, welfare charity RSPCA Cymru said it rescued a cygnet at Pentre Mawr Park near Sea Road, Abergele, Conwy county, after it was spotted with a plastic ring around its beak.

It has recorded 331 incidents of animals caught up with litter in Wales between 2015 and 2018.