Cape Town - An elusive Cape fur seal that became entangled in 14 separate pieces of pollution, two of which were so long that they were able to loop around its neck twice, has finally been set free.
The Two Oceans Aquarium’s Marine Wildlife Management Programme had tried for nearly nine months to rescue the seal, which happened to be particularly stubborn.
It refused to rest on the platforms, and instead preferred to sleep on top of the bulbous boughs of ships docked in the Port of Cape Town.
After several failed rescue attempts, Marine Wildlife Specialist Claire Taylor finally managed to set the seal free.
“Working with the seals in the V&A Waterfront and the Cape Town Harbour is something that we are very passionate about. Sometimes, it is easy to assist the seals that are in distress. Sometimes, it can take months. The suffering of this seal has been haunting and taunting us for nine months. And the frustration associated with not being able to help this animal has been unbelievable. Being able to finally get all of the entanglements off this animal is really such a great relief. It does, however, make me wonder about all of the other animals that are out there, suffering like this one had, without being seen, and without receiving any help,” said Taylor.
The Two Oceans Aquarium said grabbing seals out of the water was not their team’s usual method, but the situation was unique.
“As time goes on, nooses of plastic and fishing lines tend to become tighter as they slide lower on the seal’s neck, and the risk of death becomes greater due to infection or snagging on a submerged object.
“For the good of the animal, the team needed to act. As is quite clear… these entanglements had already cut very deeply into the seal’s flesh, and although these resilient animals are able to heal from these wounds surprisingly quickly, the healing process cannot start until the entanglement has been removed.”
Most of the entanglements around the seal were fishing lines, but there was also a mix of other synthetic fibres and even a “disposable” face mask.
“While this was a particularly bad example of entanglement, even one of these lines has the potential to kill a seal, and the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation’s Marine Wildlife Management Programme have successfully freed many other entangled seals in recent months (although fortunately, few quite as elusive),” Two Oceans Aquarium said.
The aquarium and its various programmes rely on the public for help.
If you are able to donate, visit aquariumfoundation.org.za/support-our-causes
Cape Times