How adorable is this rescued earless seal hugging and playing with a seal plushy at the Okhotsk Tokkari Center in Monbetsu, Hokkaido, Japan!
“Tokkari” is the Ainu word for “azarashi” (earless seal), and as the center’s name would imply, this facility specializes in sheltering and conservation of earless seals. Visitors can observe the natural ecology of these graceful seals, and even take part in close-up interactive activities. All the while, the center serves as a conservation facility, treating earless seals that have been injured or caught in fishing nets, and returning them home to the ocean. The Okhotsk Tokkari Center holds and extremely important role as Japan’s one and only marine animal conservation facility.
(@mombetsu_land via Laughing Squid)
