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San Francisco firefighters help rescue seal in distress

People in a boat rescue a seal
Rescuers hoist a seal onto a dock after freeing it from some type of netting. | Source: San Francisco Fire Department

San Francisco firefighters on Sunday helped rescue a harbor seal that seemed to be caught in some sort of netting or barrier in the bay.

Firefighters from Station 35 worked with Marine Mammal Rescue volunteers trained in pinniped rescue, the department said Sunday evening.

A screenshot from a San Francisco Fire Department video posted on Twitter shows rescuers corralling the seal on Sunday. | Source: San Francisco Fire Department

It was unclear exactly where the rescue took place. Video of the incident posted on Twitter by the department showed at least five people in an inflatable boat using a net to corral the animal in a harbor. The animal was lifted onto a dock using a net.

Fire officials said the seal was on its way to be evaluated at the veterinary facilities of Marine Mammal Rescue in Marin County and would likely be released back to the wild soon as it’s healthy.