Angry seal attacks German tourist in Abel Tasman

  • 14/12/2016
Separation Point (Nelson Marlborough Rescue Helicopter)
Separation Point (Nelson Marlborough Rescue Helicopter)

An angry seal has bitten a teenage tourist in the Abel Tasman National Park on Wednesday afternoon.

The 18-year-old German man received severe bite wounds to both his legs while swimming in the water at Separation Point.

He had been tramping in the popular tourist destination with a friend before deciding to venture into the water.

The man managed to scramble out of the sea, where a Department of Conservation ranger checked his condition.

He was then airlifted to Nelson Hospital for further care.

The rescue service says the man "was taught a harsh lesson about New Zealand wildlife".

Seals can be defensively territorial animals and attacks of this nature are not entirely uncommon.

In 2014, an elderly man in Taranaki was attacked by a seal on a walkway in New Plymouth, receiving serious leg injuries.

Newshub.