The post-mortem examinations into the thousands of Cape fur seal pups and sub-adults that died in the Western Cape in September 2021 shows that severe malnutrition was one of several causes of death.
The discovery comes after the Western Cape’s department of agriculture’s state veterinary laboratory was tasked to investigate the mortalities and look into the mass deaths in the Elands Bay area of the West Coast.
During the months of September and November, municipalities recovered and buried more than 1,600 dead seals.
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According to a joint statement issued by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, the Western Cape State Veterinary Services and the Cape Of Good Hope SPCA, clinical signs, including convulsions seen in the video footage received suggest possible biotoxin poisoning.
“Extensive testing for significant parasites and viruses, including distemper, as well as bacterial infections were conducted on all carcasses. The results have proven either negative or insignificant. All results for biotoxins were also negative.
“Because of the neurological signs witnessed, similar tests will be conducted on adult carcasses as part of a more thorough investigation by the State Vet,” the statement said.
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The statement further indicated that one of the reasons so many seals also washed up in the Berg River, Cape Town, Elands Bay, Lamberts Bay and Saldanha Bay areas, was because the die-off coincided with the time seals prepare for their breeding season and colonies see an influx of mature individuals.
“Adverse weather, such as strong winds and storms in September and October had previously resulted in large numbers of pups washing up dead or emaciated on beaches adjacent to breeding colonies,” the statement indicated.
Meanwhile, national, provincial and local governments are collaborating with several agencies and partners to monitor the situation. Members of the public are also urged not to handle underweight, injured or non-responsive seals, but rather to report them to the SPCA.
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Picture: Cape{town}Etc gallery