Report of "Animal trapped" in front of Busan... Turns out to be endangered large sea lion

Caught on a Fishing Boat Passing by the Sea... Safely Rescued

An endangered wild animal, a Steller sea lion, was trapped on a buoy in the waters off Gijang-gun, Busan, and was rescued with the help of the Coast Guard.

A large sea lion is trapped on a buoy in the sea off Gijang-gun, Busan. Photo by Yonhap News Agency, Ulsan Coast Guard Station

According to the Ulsan Coast Guard on the 12th, at around 1:26 p.m., the captain of a fishing boat passing near Dongbaek Port in Gijang-gun reported to the Coast Guard that "an animal resembling a seal is trapped on a buoy."

The Coast Guard, along with civilian rescue workers, approached the buoy and confirmed that a marine animal was trapped between the buoy structures.

The Coast Guard used sticks and other tools to tap the buoy and push the animal, enabling it to return to the sea.

After consulting with the National Institute of Fisheries Science Whale Research Center, the animal was identified as a Steller sea lion. The Steller sea lion is designated as a Class II endangered wild species by the Ministry of Environment. Although there is no known colony habitat in Korea, it is known to be rarely observed in the East Sea.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.