Watch heart-stopping footage of rescuers racing to save a sea lion being strangled by plastic before it's too late...

A Steller sea lion with a plastic packing strap bound tightly around its neck, cutting into the flesh, has been rescued thanks to experts. 

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Footage released by San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance shows each stage of the rescue operation. First, the team – made up of vets and rescue professionals from SeaDoc, The Whale Museum and Vancouver Aquarium – anaesthetised the animal with a dart and followed it as the colony rushed away, startled by the gunshot. 

When the anaesthetic kicked in, they approached the sea lion by boat and quickly cut her free. After they had removed the plastic, a deep wound was visible around her neck. 

Finally free, the sea lion swam away as the rescuers watched on. Although this individual was saved, the species is categorised as near threatened by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 

“This footage, while it does have a happy ending, is an important reminder of the dangers of plastic pollution,” says a spokesperson from San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

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