The Cape fur seal mortality occasion continues to ravage the species. These situations have been worsened by locals reportedly inflicting intentional hurt upon seals.
READ: Cape fur seals mortality occasion could also be linked to malnutrition
Whereas conservationists are investigating the doable hyperlink between malnutrition and the mass mortalities, they’re now confronted with one other scenario. Hout Bay Seal Rescue (HBSRC) operations director Kim Krynauw states that they’ve been receiving quite a few stories of animal cruelty inflicted upon the seals by locals in St Helena Baai.
Krynauw stated that people have attacked the small colony of seals that reside on the seashore, kicking them into rocks, after which throwing them into the ocean. She additionally stated that they’ve obtained stories of people utilizing spades to beat the seals to loss of life. All issues concerning cruelty to the seals have been reported to the Division of Environmental Affairs and the Metropolis of Cape City, who subsequently despatched a group of investigators.
‘It’s completely horrific what’s going on,’ stated Krynauw. The newest report is on the subject of a web stuffed with caught seals who have been all clubbed to loss of life. Moreover, Krynauw reported that HBSRC have been made conscious of conventional healers searching for out seals for his or her pores and skin.
Stellenbosch College senior lecturer and Sea Search co-director Tess Gridley responded to the scenario. In an interview with IOL, she said that of all the brand new pups she’d seen within the wild this yr, none of them have been alive. Gridley pleads to the general public to report all sightings of lifeless seals to the Seafari app, the I-Naturalist app, and Sea search, while sick pups ought to be reported to HBSRC.
All situations of intentional cruelty towards seals or unauthorised removing of seals have to be reported to the police or to the SPCA, ideally with a location pin, says Gridley. ‘We additionally urge the general public to maintain canines on leads once they encounter lifeless or sick seals on the seashore, and to take care of a secure distance.’
Whereas outcomes are pending concerning the suspicion that malnutrition could also be linked to the seal mortality occasion, Native Authorities MEC Anton Bredell continues to induce the general public to not feed any seals, to which West Coast Seal Challenge and Owl Orphanage founder Jacques Nel concurred. Nel stated that feeding the seals would make them depending on people for survival, which is able to finally solely result in a much bigger drawback.
Image: Tess Gridley
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