Tama-chan

[1] Strictly speaking, Tama is the actual name of the seal, and the -chan suffix is a Japanese title (similar to -san) which marks endearment and/or cuteness.

Subsequent sightings generated massive publicity as huge crowds gathered to watch and TV crews broadcast live footage across Japan.

When Tama-chan reappeared in Nakagawa river in Tokyo with a fishing hook embedded in his right eyebrow, it made national headline news and Japan's Environment Minister Shun'ichi Suzuki was asked about the well-being of the animal.

Attention from the media, not to mention the Pana Wave Laboratory, faded, and the crowds reduced to a handful of Tama-chan watchers and amateur photographers.

Signs in the vicinity warned people that anyone attempting to capture or harm the animal would be prosecuted, and that the river bank was under CCTV surveillance.