Thousands of malnourished Cape fur seals wash up dead on South Africa’s shores - cause as yet undetermined - malnutrition?

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/art...r-seals-wash-up-dead-on-south-africas-shores/


Hundreds of malnourished Cape fur seals wash up dead on South Africa’s shores
By Tembile Sgqolana
25 Oct 2021

Marine scientists are trying to find out why hundreds of malnourished and dead Cape fur seals have washed up on to the West Coast of South Africa.

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) sent its technicians and scientists, specifically dedicated to seals, to do an inspection visit at the onset of the mortalities in September.

DFFE spokesperson Zolile Nqayi said that in September St Helena Bay had seven mortalities and Elands Bay had nine.

“Four of the encountered carcasses were sampled for veterinary tests. Preliminary observations from the DFFE team were that carcasses had signs of undernourishment/malnutrition,” he said.

Nqayi said the mortalities had since increased and coincided with an outbreak of avian flu in the same areas.

“Although seal mortalities are not uncommon at this time of the year, the rapid increase in numbers has alarmed the department and its stakeholders. The department has since approached the state veterinarian at the Western Cape’s Department of Agriculture for assistance with postmortems,” he said...

 

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.iol.co.za/capeargus/new...st-coast-d7555731-39b3-40fc-b6be-39800133c90c

Large number of Cape fur seals die-off along the West Coast
By Kristin Engel
Time of article published 2h ago

Cape Town - Sea Search Research and Conservation have said there is a massive Cape fur seal mortality event unfolding along the West Coast after a large number of dead seals were reported last month – which seems to be continuing.

Overfishing and fishing line entanglements appear to be the most likely cause of the deaths at present...

 

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.capetownetc.com/news/thousands-of-cape-fur-seals-wash-up-dead-along-the-west-coast/

Thousands of Cape Fur Seals wash up dead along the West Coast
Published by Lynn Cupido on October 27, 2021

The West Coast has always stunned visitors with its beauty, but over the last week, it’s been arousing a different feeling.

Dead Cape Fur seals have been washing up on the shores of Shelly Beach, Elands Bay and Lamberts Bay with no explanation as to how they died, however, scientists believe that there may be something more sinister at play as they try their best to discover the source of the problem, reports IOL.

There are a number of big names leading the investigation, including Sea Search, the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, CapeNature, SANParks, the SPCA, Two Oceans, Shark Spotters and a range of municipalities.

While an exact number is yet to be confirmed, the deaths are well into the thousands as Sea Search continues to collect data and assist in the removal of the deceased animals...

 

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.news24.com/news24/south...pe-but-avian-influenza-not-suspected-20211102


02 Nov
Nearly 200 seals buried in a day in Western Cape, but avian influenza not suspected
Sesona Ngqakamba

The Western Cape provincial department of environmental affairs says it is investigating the issue of dying seals on the coast.
Meanwhile at least 16 514 wild birds have also been reported dead in the province.
Last year 5 000 seals were found dead in Namibia.

The Western Cape Disaster Management Centre says it is aware of reports of seals being found dead on the West Coast.

According to the Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, the deaths are, however, not linked to avian influenza but malnutrition...

 

[sharon sanders]

bump this

 

[Shiloh]

Source: https://www.maritime-executive.com/editorials/what-is-killing-south-africa-s-seals

What is Killing South Africa's Seals?
Thousands of emaciated seals have been washing up along the Cape coast, and researchers are looking for answers.
Published Jun 12, 2022 12:19 PM by China Dialogue Ocean
[By Emma Bryce]

From a distance, a seal appears to be napping on the rust-colored rocks; members of its small colony grunt at one another as sea spray brings some respite from the searing midsummer heat. But on closer inspection, one of the seal’s eyes is open and pointing vacantly at the sky.

Tess Gridley bends over the dead animal, and instructs her university students and volunteers to check for parasites. Fewer bugs means a fresher carcass, which is what these researchers are looking for. Binoculars pressed to her face, Gridley scans the rocky outcrop and finds five more bodies, which the students line up on the rocks in a funereal procession. “A colony of this size, you wouldn’t expect to see so many freshly dead,” she says...