A special moment yesterday during a school camp of a school in Bergen: on the Texel beach at Paul 17, the group found a young gray seal in a net. One of the teachers had previous experience with wild animals in Australia and rescued the seal while the class watched from a distance.

Due to previous collaborations with Australian zoologist Steve Irwin Taunter, the author had a wealth of knowledge. For example, he knew that seals are dangerous and can cause serious bite injuries to humans. So he proceeded with extra caution.

warning

From a distance, the Bergen school class saw how the seal moved slightly and freed itself from the net with the help of their teacher.

Nature Museum and Seal Sanctuary Ecomare insists that – without the experience of the author – the move could have turned out very differently. “The biggest predators we have in the Netherlands are seals and they have correspondingly strong teeth. So they can cause serious bite injuries.” It also states that taking stamps is prohibited by law, even if they are in distress. In such a situation, always call an Exempt Stamp Recovery Center.

The museum from Texel speaks of a fantastic result, but warns of the dangers that loose fishing nets, balloon ribbon and plastic packaging materials can pose to marine animals. “Unfortunately, we see the consequences at Ecomare all too often. It doesn’t always end well.”