Reduce My Rubbish
What can you do?
More
A flying ring is any type of throwing ring with a hole in the middle, including dog toy rings. They can easily get lost in water and end up as litter.
Young seals play with them and sometimes put their head through the middle. They can’t get them off and as they grow, the ring cuts into their neck causing injuries and sometimes death through infection and starvation.
How can I help?
Jenny Hobson, a member of Friends of Horsey Seals says:
Everyone can help to save our seals, here’s how:
- Pledge to not use a flying ring on the beach or near waterways, swap it for a solid frisbee
- Pledge to sell solid frisbees instead of flying rings in shops and beach kiosks.
- Tell your family, friends, schools and groups about the dangers of flying rings
- Download the Save Our Seals poster here and display it in your local area, school, or business.
+ Pledge not to use Flying Rings at the Beach here
+ Pledge not to sell Flying Rings here
+ What is happening in Norfolk already?
Visit Friends of Horsey Seals to find out more about their Flying Rings Campaign and their work to protect Norfolk’s seals.
Here’s what other Norfolk organisations are doing too:
- Great Yarmouth Sea Life Centre provides displays, video, and leaflets to raise awareness about the harm caused by flying rings
- Hunstanton Sea Life Centre houses a Seal Rescue Hospital
- RSPCA East Winch rescues and rehabilitates injured seals and other wild animals and raises awareness about the flying rings campaign.
- Norfolk County Council supports the Save Our Seals – Flying Rings Campaign through web pages, social media, flying rings pledges and banners at Recycling Centres.
- North Norfolk District Council have launched a “Safer Seals” campaign, to highlight some of the things beach visitors can do to help safeguard seals.
- Kings Lynn and West Norfolk District Council have banned flying rings from its beaches
- Great Yarmouth Borough Council have written to the government asking for a ban on the sale on flying rings, written to local businesses and carried out litter roadshows in partnership with Friends of Horsey Seals.
Countryfile recently featured our Norfolk seals and highlighted the dangers of plastic flying rings to seals when they are lost or discarded on the beach. Watch it here BBC One – Countryfile, Norfolk North Sea (January 7th 2024 BBC2 Norfolk North Sea).
