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recently, a harbor seal, a national first-level protected animal, appeared on a beach near haicheng district, beihai, guangxi, attracting widespread attention. on september 28, a video posted by a netizen showed that while the harbor seal was resting on the beach, it was watched and photographed by a group of tourists, with some even reaching out to touch it. a staff member wearing a green reflective vest quickly rushed to the scene, persuaded the onlookers to retreat, and drew an isolation line on the beach to protect the harbor seals.

visitors reach out to touch wild harbor seals. video screenshot

this video spread quickly on the internet and triggered heated discussions among many netizens. many netizens expressed concern about the behavior of tourists, believing that a lack of awareness of protection would have an unpredictable impact on wild animals. netizens pointed out that wild animals such as seals need a relatively quiet environment when inhabiting, and tourists should not disturb their normal rest out of curiosity. some netizens worried: "there are many tourists during the festival, and things that disturb wild animals may happen again." some netizens called on tourists to increase their awareness of protection: "watching is okay, but you must keep a distance, and it is forbidden to feed or touch wild animals." some netizens it was even suggested: "send the seal to a place where there are no people so that it will not be disturbed again."

the staff advised the onlookers to stay away. video screenshot

in response to this incident, on september 29, a staff member of the beihai municipal oceanic bureau told a reporter from upstream news (report email: [email protected]): “relevant departments have formulated measures to strengthen protection, especially during the national day holiday. , we will strengthen patrols, duty and publicity and education efforts to ensure that seals can safely inhabit. "

harbor seals attract crowds of tourists. video screenshot

in response to the concerns and suggestions of netizens, the above-mentioned staff said: "seals are wild animals. according to relevant protection regulations, they cannot be caught artificially or kept in captivity. we can only increase awareness of protection through publicity and education. in addition, the locations where wild seals appear have randomly, the staff will strengthen patrols according to the situation. once tourists are found watching or getting too close to the seals, they will take immediate action to persuade the crowd to avoid further interference to the seals. at the same time, officials will strengthen education and publicity to tourists and surrounding fishermen. , calling on everyone to increase their awareness of wildlife protection.”

the staff specifically reminds visitors not to get close to the seals, and not to reach out to touch them or use drones to fly close to the seals to take photos, as this may cause unnecessary disturbance to them. in addition, nearby fishermen are also reminded not to set down their nets for fishing in areas where seals are infested to avoid causing harm to the seals.

according to media reports, this spotted seal appeared the day after the typhoon. qiao ying, associate researcher at the fourth institute of oceanography of the ministry of natural resources, said that this spotted seal may be from a group of spotted seals in vietnamese waters, but specific evidence is yet to be discovered. research. relevant staff said that according to expert opinions, the harbor seal is currently in good health and "not disturbing or interfering with its life is the best way to protect it." at the same time, the staff member also called on everyone not to disturb the harbor seal, feed it, or photograph it at close range. currently, the marine and fisheries comprehensive law enforcement detachment of the beihai municipal oceanic bureau has arranged staff to be on duty at the site to check the habitat of harbor seals from time to time. at the same time, the local area has contacted hepu dugong national nature reserve and other units, and sought assistance from the fishery administration command center of the autonomous region’s department of agriculture and rural affairs to help the spotted seal find a more suitable habitat.

upstream news reporter feng shengyong