(ECNS) — China has mobilized patrols, front officers and volunteers to protect spotted seals from poachers during the breeding animal's migratory stopover in Sandaogou of Panjin, northeast China's Liaoning Province.
Spotted seals often gather during February to May at the Liaohe River estuary, their southernmost West Pacific breeding area.
An adult spotted seal usually measures 1.2 to 2 meters long and weighs about 100 kg. They got their name for those brownish spots on their backs. Locals often refer to them as "Liaodong Bay Seals."
But threats from global warming, hunting and killing, and pollution make their living conditions increasingly worse.
Sandaogou in Panjin City is a prime habitat of spotted seals.
The city, along with Dalian in Liaoning Province, has established protection zones for spotted seals.
