Government is yet to determine the cause of the widespread seal die-off that extends from at least Lambert's Bay on the West Coast to Hermanus in the southern Cape.
Several thousand animals have died over the past three months, though the exact number is unclear and organisations are pulling together to collect valuable information. The deaths coincide with a normal annual spike in pup and yearling deaths linked to the seal breeding cycle, but this year the mortality rate is much higher and includes many sub-adult and adult seals. The start of the die-off also coincided with an avian flu outbreak that killed thousands of seabirds.
“The typical lesions are in the lungs and brain, so together with the seizures it narrows the list of causes down,” Gardner said, adding that there were multiple pathogens that could cause mass mortality, all of which needed to be investigated. As soon as I started walking along the beach my insides turned upside down. Apart from the immeasurable amount of rubbish just everywhere , I was greeted by a sight I was not prepared for – hundreds of dead seals strewn along a very long stretch of beach.She urged the public not to approach sick seals or seemingly abandoned pups, but rather to report these to the SPCA or Hout Bay Seal Rescue Centre.
“As soon as I started walking along the beach my insides turned upside down. Apart from the immeasurable amount of rubbish just everywhere , I was greeted by a sight I was not prepared for — hundreds of dead seals strewn along a very long stretch of beach.”Gregg Oelofse, Cape Town's marine manager, said the city was assisting with carcass counting.
South Africa Latest News, South Africa Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Experts still baffled by South African seal die-offGovernment is yet to determine the cause of the widespread seal die-off that extends from at least Lambert's Bay on the West Coast to Hermanus in the southern Cape.
Read more »
SA soldier shot in insurgency ambush in MozambiqueA South African soldier died during an insurgent attack in the troubled Cabo Delgado Province.
Read more »
The boxing career of East London's Sabelo 'Homicide' JubathaIt's been 12 years since Sabelo 'Homicide' Jubatha won the South African junior featherweight boxing crown.
Read more »
The boxing career of East London's Sabelo 'Homicide' JubathaThe tough-as-nails prize fighter, whose facial looks resemble that of the late American rapper and actor Tupac Amaru Shakur, was actually spotted by Luyanda Kana, a political prisoner serving life at the same prison
Read more »
Watch: Hailstorm sweeping through KZN just a taste of cold, wet weekend aheadThe South African Weather Service (SAWS) has issued a yellow level 2 warning for heavy downpours and thundershowers for parts of South Africa starting
Read more »
South African pears will soon be on sale in China for the first timeSouth Africa has been exporting its apples to China for the past six years and has finally signed a pear protocol that has been years in the making with the Chinese government.
Read more »