NORTHERN FUR SEAL

[Anchor Lead]

An endangered northern fur seal was discovered on the beach in the city of Donghae in Gangwon-do Province. The exhausted animal had a piece of plastic trash wrapped around its neck, cutting deep into the flesh. Here are the details

[Pkg]

A creature with a dark body is spotted at the beach. It's a northern fur seal, a class two endangered species. A closer look reveals something is wrapped around its neck. What appears to be a piece of plastic trash was choking it.

[Soundbite] KIM JU-YEON(VIDEO RECORDER) : "My aunt saw something floating in the water. She noticed it was a seal with something like a rope around its neck."

The Coast Guard and marine animal experts arrived at the scene. The seal was seriously wounded. The piece of trash had cut deep into its flesh. Such a condition would have made it difficult for the seal to eat normally.

[Soundbite] LEE GYEONG-RI(NAT'L INSTITUTE OF FISHERIES SCIENCE) : "The rope cut through the skin to expose the dermis. It's an old wound. The threat of marine debris is quite pressing."

A small number of Northern fur seal is observed in Korea's East Sea usually during winter. So, spotting it in July is a rarity in itself. The rescued animal has been transported to a shelter for marine animals and is in intensive care. About 150,000 tons of trash are dumped into the Korean seas every year. Litter has become the biggest pollutant and threat to the marine ecosystem.