The heartbreaking reason why a number of shops have stopped selling frisbees with a hole in the middle

Several Swansea businesses have stopped selling 'flying ring' type frisbees to help prevent sad outcomes for sea animals. The toys, which are like a traditional frisbee but with a hole in the middle, have led to some distressing incidents for seals across not only Wales but the whole of the UK.

Often left discarded on beaches after being used, the toys have then been washed into the sea, and seals, by their inquisitive nature, have ended up playing with them, before getting them stuck around their necks, as these images within our report show. It has led to them suffering horrific and painful injuries, for months if not years, and in some cases, resulted in their deaths.

A nationwide campaign against the sale of such frisbees has now begun, and locally the Gower Seal Group is doing its bit to educate people of the risks and ask smaller retailers to take them off sale. Six shops in Swansea have already backed the movement, most recently including Hole in the Wall at Surfside Cafe in Langland, whose owner Nigel Calcutt has opted to only sell solid disc frisbees. For the latest Welsh news delivered to your inbox sign up to our newsletter.

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Tesco and Asda have also backed the campaign, taking the items off sale in their coastal stores, whilst WHSmith and CVS vets also no longer sell them. Pets at Home does sell flying rings, however product developers at the store have joined forces with experts at the RSPCA to design the seal friendly flying ring, which features an internal frame to help seals avoid injury.

However, thousands of plastic flying rings continue to be ordered, imported and supplied to shops across the country and most beach visitors are unaware of the potential danger they pose to seals, those behind the campaign say.

Founder of Gower Seal Group and vice chairman of the UK Seal Alliance Executive, Gareth Richards, said: "We've had success with some of the local retailers, but unfortunately there are many outlets in Swansea who have put profit in front of animal suffering, even though they have been approached. We are visiting retailers and showing them photographs of the possible consequences of these animals being entrapped in them.

"They are very, very cheap imports. They are flooding the market, actually, and you can buy these rings for £1. People buy these things and take them to the beach, and they get lost and discarded. They end up in the water and you'll get a curious seal who will play with them, and those few seconds or few minutes of curiosity can turn into a lifetime of misery, pain, suffering, and often death.

"I've picked up, and other people as well, at least 30 plus of these flying rings around the beaches of Swansea and the Gower in the last six months. I did 52 talks last year to various different groups, and I go into schools. People are very, very supportive of this. I've even had young children walk away, go to their caravan and bring me their flying rings and say they don't want them anymore.

"The last time it happened, in Gowerton Caravan and Motorhome Club, I was choked, and everyone in the audience gave them a clap. There are alternatives to this, there's the solid disc frisbees which have been around for years. It's about educating people and giving them the information, because, at the end of the day, people don't buy these things with the intention of harming seals."

A petition has been launched to have the toys banned, which needs 100,000 signatures for a debate in Parliament. The petition was launched by Seal Alliance member and founder of the Flying Rings campaign, Jenny Hobson. Ms Hobson was also a volunteer at one of the RSPCA’s wildlife centres, and five years ago she saw first hand a rescued seal with a pink plastic flying ring deeply embedded around her neck.

She said: "I was helping out on an evening shift when Friends of Horsey Seals (FoHS), a Norfolk seal charity, brought in an adult grey seal they had rescued with a pink flying ring toy deeply embedded into her neck. Pinkafo, as she was named, was close to death. When I saw what a terrible state she was in, I felt I had to do something to stop this happening to other seals."

Since then, at least 27 more seals have been spotted caught in plastic flying ring toys, a general term for any type of throwing ring with a hole, including dog toy rings. Chairwoman of the Seal Alliance, Sue Sayer MBE, said: "Since Pinkafo, we have seen many seal casualties being strangled by flying rings around the UK.

"Young seals learn through play and are curious and inquisitive. They explore these lost toys as they float in the water column. Before they know it, the seal becomes entangled in the ring which gets stuck over its head. As the young seal grows, it suffers horrific and painful injuries over months and sometimes years, which is a huge welfare issue.

"Unless rescued, their entanglement will likely to lead to their premature death. We have been talking to retailers and sharing posters to raise awareness about the issue. Now we need action to ban the sale of these risky flying ring toys, especially as there are perfectly good alternative solid disc or X shaped toys to play with instead." If you wish to sign the petition, you can do so by clicking here. Try WalesOnline Premium for FREE by clicking here for no ads, fun puzzles and brilliant new features.