The carcass of a dead seal lies on a beach in Cape Town
The carcass of a dead Cape fur seal lies on a beach as officials investigate an alarming spike in seal deaths along the Cape coast, in Cape Town, South Africa, November 7, 2021. Picture taken November 7 2021. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings

Home » South Africa Investigates Alarming Rise in Seal Deaths Along Cape Coast

South Africa Investigates Alarming Rise in Seal Deaths Along Cape Coast

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) – South African officials are investigating an alarming rise in seal deaths along the west coast near Cape Town, with malnutrition one potential cause. A Reuters photographer saw scores of seal carcasses on beaches in Cape Town and along the rugged Atlantic Ocean coastline north of the city last week. Several more […]

By SAPeople
09-11-21 19:51
in Eish!
The carcass of a dead seal lies on a beach in Cape Town
The carcass of a dead Cape fur seal lies on a beach as officials investigate an alarming spike in seal deaths along the Cape coast, in Cape Town, South Africa, November 7, 2021. Picture taken November 7 2021. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) – South African officials are investigating an alarming rise in seal deaths along the west coast near Cape Town, with malnutrition one potential cause.

The carcass of a dead seal lies on a beach in Cape Town
The carcass of a dead Cape fur seal lies on a beach as offficials investigate an alarming spike in seal deaths, in Cape Town, South Africa, November 7, 2021. Picture taken November 7 2021. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings

A Reuters photographer saw scores of seal carcasses on beaches in Cape Town and along the rugged Atlantic Ocean coastline north of the city last week. Several more dead seals were floating in the water.

James-Brent Styan, spokesperson for the Western Cape province’s environment department, said seal deaths at this time of year were normal, but not to this extent.

“Not on the levels we are currently experiencing, so that is why we are so concerned,” he said. “One of the early theories is that it might be malnutrition, lots of the seal carcasses are small, but it is only a theory.”

The provincial government said last week that it had buried almost 200 seals.

The carcass of a dead Cape fur seal lies on the rocks as officials investigate an alarming spike in seal deaths along the coast, in Elands Bay, South Africa, November 5, 2021. Picture taken November 5, 2021. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings
A colony of Cape fur seals crowd onto rocks in Hout Bay, near Cape Town
A colony of Cape fur seals crowd onto rocks as officials investigate an alarming spike in seal deaths along the coast, in Hout Bay, near Cape Town, South Africa, November 8, 2021. Picture taken November 8, 2021. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings
south africa seals
A colony of Cape fur seals crowd onto rocks as officials investigate an alarming spike in seal deaths along the coast, in Hout Bay, near Cape Town, South Africa, November 8, 2021. Picture taken November 8, 2021. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings
The carcass of a dead seal lies on a beach in Cape Town
The carcass of a dead Cape fur seal lies on a beach as officials investigate an alarming spike in seal deaths, in Cape Town, South Africa, November 7, 2021. Picture taken November 7 2021. REUTERS/Mike Hutchings

Styan said officials hoped to have more information once reports come back from the state veterinary service.

Experts believe an Avian Influenza epidemic affecting wild seabirds in the Western Cape is probably not behind the latest spate of seal deaths.

WATCH South African officials investigating alarming spike in seal deaths on Cape coast

(Reporting by Mike Hutchings and Sisipho Skweyiya, Writing by Alexander Winning, Editing by Angus MacSwan)

Tags: malnutrition seals western cape