Pack Of Wild Dogs Attack Helpless Elephant Seal Relaxing On Chilean Coast
This is the shocking moment a pack of wild dogs attack and apparently injure an elephant seal while it relaxes on the shore.
The attack was filmed on the La Rinconada beach in the port city of Antofagasta in the Chilean region of the same name.
It is unclear when exactly it was filmed but it was first reported in local media yesterday (20th April) after the images were shared on social media.
The video shows at least four dogs savagely attacking a helpless elephant seal from a far distance as a text in the middle says: “I thought it was a rock.”
The pack of wild dogs are seen biting the stranded animal from several sides. The elephant seal attempts to drag itself towards the sea as several of the canines chomp down on its fins apparently trying to stop it as the video ends.
Local sources said the sea mammal managed to make it back to the safety of the waters and away from the pack of canines.
A similar incident happened in London to a popular seal locally known as ‘Freddie Mercury’ but it was unable to get away and was killed in a dog attack at the Thames river earlier this year.
Netizens in Chile became critical of officials claiming they had not done enough to help control the situation of stray animals, which include both dogs and cats, in the area.
Some locals pointed out the pack of dog frequents the La Rinconada area and besides being large, are also aggressive.
The comments lead Minister of the Environment Carolina Schmidt to issue a tweet echoing their concerns saying it is a “big problem”.
She added that there is a group composed of public and private organisations which are working on the ‘National Strategy for Responsible Ownership of Pets’ as “a tool for the conservation of biodiversity”.
There have been no further reports on if the dogs have been captured or searched for by the authorities.