A young grey seal was left with serious injuries after getting tangled in a net on a British cove littered with plastic bottles.
A team of experts abseiled down a steep cliff to gain access to the remote spot after spotting the seal suffering.
The group, from Cornish Wildlife, managed to calm the injured mammal before cutting away the nylon netting.
Then, watched by an anxious crowd, they cleaned the deep wound around its neck and freed it back into the sea.
A young grey seal is saved from a painful death after rescuers from the environmental group Cornish Wildlife freed him from the nylon netting that was caught around his neck, pictured
The rescue took place at a remote West Cornish cove and was triggered after seal researchers Sue Sayer and Kate Hockley spotted the stricken animal.
Dan Jarvis, a volunteer for a wildlife rescue group, sped to the scene and decided a rescue, although difficult, would be possible.
He was joined by a group of experienced abseil team and seal care expert Tamara Cooper, curator at the Cornish Seal Sanctuary.
A team from Cornish Wildlife, pictured, abseiled down a steep cliff at a remote West Cornish cove to gain access to the beach where the seal was suffering, and snuck up on the poor animal to corner it
The young male seal pup, pictured, had a deep wound around his neck after getting tangled in a net on a British cove littered with plastic bottles. The rescue team had to move quickly
Rescuers, pictured, managed to wrap the seal in a towel, a tried and tested way of avoiding bites from the startled animal, and began cutting away the netting. They then cleaned the deep wound around the seal’s neck
Mr Jarvis said: ‘We had to move quickly and quietly so as not to spook the seals and send them scurrying back into the sea.
‘Happily we managed it and Sue, Tamara and myself were able to circle round and sneak up close enough to make a final dash and restrain the seal.’
Tamara Cooper added: ‘It struggled a lot at first, but by straddling its back and covering its head with a towel I was able to quieten it down while Dan and Sue carefully cut away the netting.
‘The wound was very deep, especially across the back of its neck, but now the line has been removed the saltwater should keep it clean and we are confident it will heal.’
Rescuers, pictured, managed to wrap the seal in a towel, a tried and tested way of avoiding bites from the startled animal, and began cutting away the netting. They then cleaned the deep wound around the seal’s neck
Net that was removed from the seal, pictured. The seal was left with serious injuries after getting tangled in a net on a British cove that was littered with plastic bottles
Litter removed from the area the seal was found in, pictured. Plastic from bottles is said to be responsible for one-third of the total found on beaches or in the seas – where it is eaten by fish and ends up on our plates
The group said the incident highlighted the hazard that lost and discarded netting poses to wildlife.
Seal researcher Sue Sayer said: ‘The Cornwall Seal Group Research Trust has recorded 300 net-entangled seals in the last 18 years.
‘Many have not been as lucky as this latest victim, and many have undoubtedly died as a result.’
While on the beach, the team discovered a large number of plastic bottles as well as discarded litter.
Plastic from bottles is said to be responsible for one-third of the total found on beaches or in the seas – where it is eaten by fish and ends up on our plates.
Plastic bottle recycling efforts in Britain have stalled and an astonishing 15-16million are now thought to be thrown away every day.
Watched by an anxious crowd, rescuers cleaned the deep wound around the seal’s neck and freed it so it could make its way back into the sea, pictured. The rescue took place at a remote West Cornish cove
The seal gets released back into the sea, pictured, after being saved by rescuers at a West Cornish cove. The seal had a deep wound around his neck after getting tangled in a net on a British cove littered with plastic bottles
The Daily Mail has called for a crackdown on the tide of plastic bottles polluting Britain, with the Banish the Bottles campaign encouraging the introduction of a bottle deposit return scheme.
Study groups have argued that the most effective way to tackle ocean pollution would be a deposit scheme for plastic bottles.
The Green Alliance, an environmental thinktank and charity, argues introducing a deposit and refund system in the UK could ensure 95 per cent of plastic bottles are collected and recycled.