VietNamNet Bridge – A fisherman in the central province who caught a seal was asked by the local government to release the animal, but he said he would do it only for money.

On August 15 local people used fishing nets to catch a seal while it was lying on the beach.

"The seal is now in captivity at the home of a local man named Le Minh. The seal has black and white spots, nearly a meter long, weighing about 40 kg. Many curious people have flocked to see it,” Binh said.

According to the official, the seal is caged in a coracle, full of sea water and surrounded by a net to prevent people from touching the seal.  

"I will hand over the seal to the authorities, but they have to pay me," said Minh. 

Ngo Tan, deputy director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Quang Nam, said the department’s experts talked with Minh to persuade him to hand over the seal to the authorities.

The department’s officials have also contacted the Nha Trang Oceanography Institute.

Tan said that this was the first time seals had appeared in the sea of Quang Nam.

At the same time, several seals have been seen in the waters of Chi Cong commune in Tuy Phong district of the central province of Binh Thuan. However, local people have been told to leave them alone.

In latest news, Minh handed over the seal to the Nha Trang Oceanography Institute on August 17 late afternoon.