This article contains graphic details that may disturb sensitive readers:
A perfect Sunday in Cape Town consists of grabbing a bite to eat at the harbour, surrounded by breathtaking scenery while witnessing those quirky yet magnificent Cape Fur seals fill the atmosphere with their warm personalities writes Cape {town} Etc’s Micayla Vellai.
Now picture this: a life without seals.
This is the painful and devastating reality if human-caused hazards like plastic pollution continues to wreak havoc, and after receiving graphic footage from Sea Search, I knew that more people needed to become aware of how our actions are affecting marine life.
According to the Two Oceans Aquarium, it’s estimated that approximately two million Cape Fur seals inhabit the coasts of southern Africa, mostly living in 25-40 colonies on rocky coastlines and islands. You’ll often spot a few at tourist destinations, harbours and diving sites. They are also referred to as South African fur seals or brown fur seals.
Their semi-aquatic lifestyle puts them at great risk of encountering human-caused hazards like fishing gear, boats, hunters and plastic pollution.
In a recent study, Stellenbosch University’s (SU) Sea Search-Namibian Dolphin Project and Ocean Conservation Namibia (OCN) found that hundreds of Cape Fur seals are entangled each year, mainly in fishing lines and nets, causing horrific injuries and can result in a slow, painful death.
The study was part of an ongoing project to investigate the impact of pollution on fur seals in Namibia, and demonstrated that a high number of affected animals were pups and juveniles, which were mainly entangled around the neck by fishing line.
Dr Tess Gridley, co-director of the Namibian Dolphin Project and an Hon Senior Lecturer in the Department of Botany and Zoology at Stellenbosch University said: “Plastic pollution and particularly lost and discarded fishing nets are having a big impact to marine life. Once entangled, these seals face a very painful and uncertain future: finding food becomes harder and wounds can become deep and debilitating, and likely cause death in many cases. Changes to policy could help, such as financial incentives to recover lines, safe disposal of nets and sustainable alternatives to plastics.”
Naude Dreyer from Ocean Conservation Namibia says the project is ongoing: “Since the start of 2021 we have already disentangled over 600 fur seals in only two colonies. This is the tip of the iceberg. It is imperative that studies such as this highlight the consequences of plastic waste on marine animals, and bring around change for the better.”
The research team aims to extend the project to South Africa and have already started collecting data from Seal Island, in False Bay and Hout Bay.
Help stop wildlife suffering in marine plastics and pledge your support to fight on behalf of the precious Cape Fur seals by donating to https://gofund.me/8cc1f09f.
This fundraiser will support scientific research and capacity building in South Africa and Namibia to help identify polluters and inform policy to instigate change. Overall, your donation will help undo some of the harm caused by humans. Let’s help to give suffering animals a voice.
WATCH:
Picture: Unsplash
