Swimmer bitten by seal in Royal National Park

Updated November 6 2012 - 3:01am, first published January 4 2012 - 3:47am
An Australian Fur Seal.
An Australian Fur Seal.

A man has been bitten by a seal while swimming at a beach in the Royal National Park this afternoon.Lifeguards raised the alarm after the man, 24, emerged from the water about 2.30pm with a large wound to his left calf and told them he had been attacked by a seal.The man’s leg was reportedly bleeding heavily and an ambulance was called to the beach.Paramedics treated the man at the scene and he did not require a trip to hospital.The type of seal involved is not known, but fur seals are common along the coast and lifeguards described the animal as ''huge''.Fur seals can become aggressive if threatened and can inflict serious wounds using rows of large teeth.A Surf Life Saving South Coast duty officer lifeguards didn’t often deal with seal bites.‘‘It’s not a usual thing to happen, being attacked by a seal,’’ he said.In 2010, Victorian authorities warned tourists to keep a safe distance from fur seal colonies in Port Phillip Bay after three people were bitten by the animals in the space of a week.
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