Attempted Capture
In March 2003, a group calling themselves "Society That Thinks About Tama-chan", attempted to capture Tama-chan with fishing nets in order to send it back to arctic waters with the help of a little-known US-based group called "Marine Animals Lifeline". A doomsday cult called Pana-Wave Laboratory which was revealed to be behind this group, pseudoscientifically thought that electromagnetic waves led the seal astray, and also that returning the seal to arctic waters would somehow "save the world from destruction". The cult had even built two swimming pools to keep the animal until it could be transferred.
The (illegal) attempt failed. Tama-chan disappeared out of sight a few days later. When Tama-chan reappeared in Naka-gawa River in Tokyo, with a fishing hook embedded in the right eyebrow, it made national headline news, and Japan's Environment Minister was asked questions as to the well-being of the animal.
Read more about this topic: Tama-chan
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