SAVING SEALS
The Cape of Good Hope SPCA ’ s Wildlife Department regularly responds to calls about seals on beaches , especially during the months of October through to January . Most commonly , it is the Cape Fur Seal ( Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus ) that is encountered on our beaches . The Cape Fur Seal is endemic to South Africa and is the only seal species that breed here . We are however on rare occasions privileged to be visited by Elephant Seals and Subantarctic fur seals . The Cape Fur Seal is the largest fur seal species . The bulls can grow up to 2.5m in length and weigh between 200-350kg and the cows are smaller at about 1.5m and 40-80kg .
A cape fur seal with a strangulating entanglement
During October the bull seals come ashore and there may typically be territorial battles . The pregnant cow seals arrive in November to early December and a single black seal pup is born , which is suckled for a year . This is why it is normal to see seals on the beaches from October to January every year .
During this period in 2019 , the SPCA responded to 119 seal related calls . This year to date , we have responded to 37 seal calls with the peak of the season still ahead of us . The most common calls that we receive relate to ; injured seals , resting seals , seal pups and entangled seals .
It is quite normal for a seal to be on the beach as they are semi-aquatic mammals , meaning they often spend a portion of each day on land for a variety of reasons : to rest , give , birth , moult , breed etc . They hunt in the ocean and spend hours on dry land to bask in the sun . Newborn pups are black and after about 3-5 months they change to an olive-grey colour . After a year , after being weaned , their coats turn silver-grey , and the seals are now commonly called “ yearlings ”. We often receive calls from animal lovers who are concerned for the well-being of these yearlings when in fact , they are in good health and merely resting on the beach .
What to do when you see a seal on the beach
1 . If the seal is responsive ( barks or lifts its head on your approach ), is moving and opening its eyes , it is likely resting and basking in the sun . Generally resting seals , will tuck their flippers inwards . If the seal is injured or appears to be convulsing , please call us immediately . If you can take photos or video footage , this will be very helpful in enabling us to determine the urgency needed in our response .
2 . Do not pour water over the seal or try to chase them back into the water .
3 . Keep dogs away from them
4 . Don ’ t get too close , seals can be aggressive and give a nasty bite .
Entangled seals
Unfortunately , many of the calls we receive are about seals that have straps or nooses cutting into their necks . These injuries are caused by seals swimming through looped fishing line or packaging twine , which has found its way into the water as a result of human negligence . These seals are most often found in the harbours and it can be difficult to help them as they head for the water where we are unable to reach them as soon as we get too close .
We work very closely with the City of Cape Town , Two Oceans Aquarium and the Department of Environment , Forestry and Fisheries with regards to all seal matters . If you see a seal in distress , please call us on 0217004158 / 9 or 0833261604 . Remember to take a video or a photo if you can as they help us to make an initial assessment .
Inspector Minette Pieterse monitoring seals in the harbour
46 FOOTPRINTS 2020