03:55Rare leopard seal becomes Mar del Plata beach star
Locals caught a very rare sighting of a leopard seal on the Playa Varese in Mar del Plata on Thursday morning. The animal appeared stranded on the beach at 8.00 a.m (12.00 p.m GMT).
The leopard seal was found with a ten-centimeter wound, a rescue operation was organised in a joint operation between local park rangers, the Scaglia Museum and the Aquarium Foundation. The team fenced off the leopard seal to passers-by while taking some blood to monitor its health.
"It is quite rare to see it in Mar del Plata, it's about the third time in 20 years that I saw a leopard seal here on the Mar del Plata coast. It is a young individual, it is not an adult at all, he is quite thin, we suppose that the affection is bothering him, affecting him. Otherwise, he wouldn't be like this," explained aquarium scientific director Alejandro Saubidet.
Currently, it is estimated that the world population of leopard seals is at a minimum of 35,000, the majority of which can be found in the Antarctic. The species has been protected by the Antarctic Treaty and by the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals since 1972.
03:55Locals caught a very rare sighting of a leopard seal on the Playa Varese in Mar del Plata on Thursday morning. The animal appeared stranded on the beach at 8.00 a.m (12.00 p.m GMT).
The leopard seal was found with a ten-centimeter wound, a rescue operation was organised in a joint operation between local park rangers, the Scaglia Museum and the Aquarium Foundation. The team fenced off the leopard seal to passers-by while taking some blood to monitor its health.
"It is quite rare to see it in Mar del Plata, it's about the third time in 20 years that I saw a leopard seal here on the Mar del Plata coast. It is a young individual, it is not an adult at all, he is quite thin, we suppose that the affection is bothering him, affecting him. Otherwise, he wouldn't be like this," explained aquarium scientific director Alejandro Saubidet.
Currently, it is estimated that the world population of leopard seals is at a minimum of 35,000, the majority of which can be found in the Antarctic. The species has been protected by the Antarctic Treaty and by the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals since 1972.