Seals are being caught and killed by fishermen in the southern Binh Thuan Province despite the call to protect the animals from local authorities. 

 A seal was found dead on Doi Duong Beach in Binh Thuan Province on January 1

A local man, Nguyen Loc Quan, in Phan Ri Cua Town, Tuy Phong District told Lao Dong Newspaper on Tuesday that he has just buried a seal that had been beaten to death on Doi Duong Beach on January 1.

Quan said he had played with the seal while swimming that day. He had seen the seal alive at around 6pm when he left the beach.

"A heard that the seal was killed at around 9pm and when I arrived, I saw it dead on the beach with serious head wounds," Quan said.

Quan said that he and many other visitors had really loved the seal and used to play with him when they come to the beach. He and some friends decided to bury the animal.

 A local man buried the seal which was allegedly beaten to death by fishermen in Binh Thuan Province.

According to some local people, the seal was beaten to death by some local fishermen who was angry because they claimed it had damaged their net and eaten fish.

It is said that the 50-kilo seal appeared at Doi Duong Beach in December 2016 and it was usually seen lying on the beach or playing with visitors.

In July last year, two seals had also been spotted in this beach area, surprising both local people and tourists. But one was said to be caught by local fishermen.

Local authorities have encouraged the local people and tourists to protect the animals.

Experts from Nha Trang Oceanography Institute in the central Khanh Hoa Province said this was not the first time seals had appeared in Vietnamese waters.

Previously, seals had been caught in the nets of some fishermen from Danang City and Ninh Thuan, Thua Thien - Hue and Quang Ngai provinces.

Two seals are currently being raised by the Oceanography Institute. They were found by fishermen in the sea off Thua Thien - Hue and Ninh Thuan provinces.

Dtinews