A long-suffering seal may have spent more than six months with a frisbee trapped around her neck.
Volunteers from Friends of Horsey Seals had been tracking the Atlantic Grey female for around six months, after it was first reported she had become entangled in the yellow toy.
However, until this week she had been unable to capture, meaning the volunteers could not get her the treatment she needed.
On Thursday though, they made their breakthrough, locating her on Horsey Sands and getting her into the care of the RSPCA in East Winch.
It is not known exactly how long the seal – nicknamed Mrs Frisbee – had been in her predicament. However, the frisbee had become so tightly caught around her that it left a nasty wound once it was removed.
Peter Ansell, chair of Friends of Horsey Seals, said: 'When seals get something caught around their neck while they are still growing, it will get tighter as they grow and can cause them real problems, getting quite nasty.
'It can also make it incredibly difficult for them to fish so they also suffer from malnourishment.'
Mr Ansell estimated the frisbee was around eight inches in diameter, causing Mrs Frisbee a great of discomfort.
He added that when seals get items stuck around their necks they tend to try and stay in the middle of bunches, making it extremely difficult for them to be caught and treated.
Mrs Frisbee is now safely in the care of RSPCA medics, who are helping her in her rehabilitation, having removed the offending toy.
Mr Ansell added: 'It is very early days for her, it usually takes up at least 24 hours for them to get settled in care and then they have to rehabilitate.
'However, we were delighted to finally catch her and be able to get her the help she so sorely needed.'
The friends are now hoping Mrs Frisbee's story will make people more vigilant when leaving items on the beach and littering at sea, seeing first hand the damage they can do.
'Pieces of fishing net are one of the main offenders,' Mr Ansell added. 'But we have also had reports of one with a tyre around its middle and rope around flippers.
If you see a seal with any type of item caught on them, Friends of Horsey Seals can be contacted on both Facebook and Twitter.
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