Managing seal rescues in Jeffreys Bay
In recent months the NSRI in Jeffreys Bay has been involved in a larger than a normal number of seal rescues.
We find out how volunteers manage the rescues, ask the experts why strandings occur and advise members of the public what they can do to help.
Adult male Cape fur seals can grow to a length of 2.3m and weigh in at a hefty 300 kilograms. Interestingly, adult females only grow to about one-quarter of the size of their male counterparts, and pups weigh in at about 6kg at birth.
Their size notwithstanding, seals can be ferocious, especially when threatened or hurt. There have been a number of incidents of seals, even young ones, biting and severely injuring well-intentioned humans.
One might want to argue they are a special case when it comes to rescuing, but they, like any wild animal, will pose a number of challenges to anyone wishing to assist. And this is when the job needs to be handed over to the experts.
Dean Luyt, a volunteer at NSRI Jeffreys Bay has been involved with seal rescues for a number of years, and the last few months have been the busiest he’s ever experienced as far as strandings and rescues are concerned.
One reason is that the weaning season falls between October and January. After weaning, the yearlings (pups that are 10 to 11 months old) start going to sea for the first time.
It’s a tough time for many of them because they now need to catch food for themselves. They often become quite thin and, since they are fairly naive, a number come ashore to rest in inappropriate places.
“When yearlings are found on the beach, we generally get Bayworld involved immediately,” Dean explains.
“But it can be touch and go with the smaller animals because they are often already very weak,” he adds.
There are a number of protocols in place when seals are found on the beach. These have been put in place to protect both the animals and the public.
When seals come ashore on public, well-frequented beaches, like The Point, it’s a problem, because there are people walking their dogs there.
Dean tells of one incident when he received a call from a member of the public to inform him that he and his daughter had found a young seal on the beach and that his dogs were playing with it and then his daughter held it in her arms.
When Dean or station commander Paul van Jaarsveld receive any calls relating to seal strandings, they go to the site to do an initial inspection of the animal to see whether it’s injured.
If there are no injuries and it’s an adult seal, it’s probably come ashore to rest. At this point, Dean will have a conversation with Dr Greg Hofmeyr from Bayworld, and a decision is made for the next course of action.
Often this will be to translocate the animal to a quieter beach where it can relax and rest in peace until it is ready to return to the water.
“When it comes to yearlings, we capture them, and transport them to Bayworld, or Greg meets us halfway to collect them. But often they’re undernourished and very weak. We don’t win every single one, which is quite sad,” Dean says referring to the young seals. “But that’s nature.”
“If the animal can be treated on-site, for instance, if a disentanglement is required, the team will do so with the necessary equipment while keeping as far away from the sharp end of the animal as possible,” Dean says.
If the team is unable to move the seal, which is often the case for adult animals, they will cordon off the area with tape, put up ‘Do not disturb’ signboards and place a volunteer nearby to keep people and dogs away.
Dean is a marine wildlife response officer and he and Paul are recognised as agents of Bayworld and are permitted to capture and assist with the transportation of seals.