The City of Cape Town and SPCA have expressed their outrage at the ongoing public harassment of a seal on Strand Beach that resulted in the seal attacking a visitor and the ultimate unnecessary death of the animal.
The City issued a stern warning that the harassment of seals on Cape Town beaches has serious ramifications.
Also read: Stressed-out seal bites woman and dies after days of harassment
After days of repeated harassment by members of the public on Strand Beach, an adult seal eventually attacked and bit a visitor who walked into it on the beach late on Wednesday evening, 18 October 2023, after not seeing the animal.
After the attack, the woman was taken to hospital by paramedics, where her bite wound was treated.
‘Over the last few days, this seal was simply trying to rest on the beach which is normal and expected seal behaviour on our coastline. However the seal has had stones and rocks thrown at it, been prodded with sticks, had dogs attack it and many members of the public tease it so that they can take footage of the seal chasing them.’
‘I would like to advise all beachgoers that it is illegal to harass any coastal wildlife and the responsibility rests with the public to keep their distance,’ said the City’s deputy mayor and mayoral committee member for spatial planning and environment, Alderman Eddie Andrews.
The City’s Coastal Management and Law Enforcement teams had to close a portion of the beach so that the SPCA Wildlife Unit, with the help of Coastal Management and with the permission of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, could safely capture and remove the seal from the beach.
The seal was transported by the SPCA to the Two Oceans Aquarium for assessment by their wildlife veterinarian to get a health clearance for release at a safe location away from people, but sadly, the seal died from the excessive stress.
Alderman Andrews urged all Cape Town residents and beach visitors to refrain from disturbing these creatures if they encounter them.
Recent sightings of seals have been reported at Melkbosstrand, Sunset Beach and Milnerton Beach as well.
Stress resulting from harassment or capture is a frequent cause of the unfortunate consequences observed in such cases. This is why the DFFE, the City and the SPCA refrain from capturing and relocating seals, as the stress associated with capture significantly increases the mortality rate among these animals.
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Picture: City of Cape Town