A video has gone viral online of the moment police in Washington state rescued an unusual visitor to the region - a Guadalupe fur seal - from being caught up and wrapped in a plastic fishing net on a local beach.
A witness captured the moment the distraught seal is attended by the two caring policemen, and the subsequent video was uploaded to social media where it promptly went viral.
In the video we see one police officer hold the net containing the seal while the other officer uses a knife to hack away at the net in an attempt to free the poor animal and release it back to the sea. The seal, unaware that the men are trying to help, pulls and jumps away from their helping hands, and whenever one of the police officers becomes too close, snaps at them with its mouth. It continues to do this despite the reassuring words the men speak in an attempt to get the distraught animal to calm down. Over and over again the officer with the knife tells the stricken animal that everything is going to be ok and that its ordeal will soon be over.
Undeterred, the two officers are not going to give up easily though, and through sheer determination, and the aid of an animal restraining pole, they eventually get the poor animal free from the plastic fishing net. After many minutes of the animal straining against its restraints and the police officer hacking at the plastic, the seal is freed and promptly runs back to the sea from where it came.
Video Credit: Steven Hill via storyful
