A blonde seal was strangled by a fishing net on the Norfolk coast, and the heartbreaking event was caught on camera.

Geoff Smith, a 54-year-old IT consultant, took the picture that demonstrates the extent of plastic contamination. The seal could be seen with a large blue net around its neck and it appeared to be unable to remove on its own.

Worried Geoff phoned the Friends of Horsey Seals, a seal rescue organization to let them know about the seal, but the animal managed to elude the rescuers trying to catch him and swam back out to sea. According to Geoff, the seal’s neck was wounded and it had grown since becoming entangled in the netting.

It’s tragic that garbage has harmed wildlife as a result of our negligence and complacency, both of which may be prevented by increasing awareness and educating people and industry about the true repercussions of their actions.

According to David Vyse of Friends of Horsey Seals, injured seals tend to stay near the water since they are restricted in their movements or choose to remain in the colony for protection. It will either dive into the sea or flee with the colony to “safety” when a human approaches.

Since the photo was shot, they have seen this seal a few times, and it appears to be eating well. They said that when the conditions are appropriate, they’ll do everything they can to catch him and remove the plastic with the least amount of interruption to the seal colony.