A brave man helped remove a car tire stuck firmly around a sea lion’s neck in Argentina. The sea lion was spotted on the Argentinean town of Mar del Plata with the rubber tire noosed around its neck.
The volunteer animal rescue group Fundacion Fauna Argentina (FFA) was alerted and a group of volunteers went to help, among them one young man who would risk getting close to the sea lion to try and pull the tire off himself.
It took several attempts and two days to remove the tire without injuring the animal. They developed a special tool in order to hook the tire and then pull it with a rope.
Instagram / Beat Box Guille
In the first attempt, the young man approaches with a long hook and is able to hook the tire. However, he does not have the strength to pull it off himself, and the sea lion pulls him into the middle of the herd!
The situation was too dangerous for both the sea lion and the man so their second attempt was from behind a fence.
This time they used a bamboo pole with a shorter hook attached. But the tire wouldn’t come off and the sea lion was too strong and pulled the pole out of their grip.
The third attempt occurred the next day and the young man this time attached a hook and rope to the tire with others tugging on the rope from further ashore.
Just as it appeared the rescuers would have to start over and come up with a new idea, the tire finally came off. Thankfully, this final attempt was successful and the sea lion was freed!
FFA is non-governmental organization and volunteers buy their own equipment and supplies to rescue wildlife throughout Argentina. This particular sea lion was not the only they helped while at the beach. Another sea lion had to be freed from a nasty wire around its torso.
The group also spent time cleaning garbage off the beach in order to prevent more wildlife from becoming injured. Plastics and garbage is becoming an increasing threat to marine animals. Many communities around the globe have citizens actively participating in garbage clean ups from beaches and waterways in order to lessen harm and human impact on the environment.
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