- A workshop involving the City of Cape Town, DFFE, and other organisations addressed the rising cases of Cape fur seal bites, now linked to rabies.
- Rabies, now endemic among the seals, is believed to have spread from another wildlife population.
- The Hout Bay Seal Rescue Centre stressed the importance of monitoring and rehabilitating aggressive seals, while advising the public to keep their distance.
A workshop of the City of Cape Town in partnership with the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation and Sea Search was held recently to investigate the possible causes of the increase in the frequency of unusual and unprovoked Cape fur seal bites.
With the recent confirmation of rabies in the Cape fur seal population, the workshop included discussions about the implications of and appropriate management responses to the rabies virus in the Cape fur seal population.
Some of the findings and outcomes of the workshop were that some levels of aggression in seals should be considered normal and may arise from various causes, including territorial behaviour, maternal protectiveness, pain or distress, as well as from poor health conditions caused by various disease states. However, excessive aggression associated with unusual behaviour that is being documented in multiple cases is not normal and is directly linked to the now-confirmed presence of the rabies virus in some individual Cape fur seals.
Rabies appears to be well-established in the Cape fur seal population and is unlikely to be eradicable and should now be considered endemic requiring ongoing and long-term management by coastal authorities.
Initial indications are that rabies was transmitted to seals from another wildlife population and not from local domestic dogs.
More research needed
People’s Post spoke to Kim Krynauw, CEO of Hout Bay Seal Rescue Centre, on the centre’s experience and how they handle any problems with seals if and when they arise.
“We do rehabilitation and there are a number of factors that cause aggressive seals. The biggest is starvation, which causes hypoglycemia in mammals and can present neurological and aggressive symptoms in seals and other mammals.
ALSO READ | Experts link Cape Fur Seal aggression to rabies in Western Cape
“We have over the years treated many aggressive animals that once stabilised have returned to normal behaviour and we have released them after the animal has reached a good weight,” she says.
“We believe seals should be monitored before being euthenased. In our experience with a seal that tested positive for rabies, they died within an hour of presenting various symptoms. Seals are also related to the bear, weasel and otter family.
“We will continue our work and focus mainly on pups, juveniles and yearlings so if people find these youngsters please call us or WhatsApp on 072 988 5193,” she says.
Overfishing, pollution
The centre is building holding and isolation pens and receives no funding.
“The majority of our funding is self-generated. We have a Threatened or Protected Species permit and are dedicated to upholding our permit requirements and supporting and protecting seals that are listed as protected species. Our ongoing recommendation to the public is to stay away from seals. Never put water on a resting seal, do not attempt to pick it up, keep your children away and keep your dogs on a lead at all times.
ALSO READ | Cape Town residents on high alert after rabies case leads to euthanasia of dogs
“We understand and acknowledge rabies is dangerous, but we also believe there needs to be a lot more research done as it is extremely rare in marine animals.
“We will also continue to ask the authorities to start addressing overfishing and pollution which all have a detrimental effect and are destroying our environment and our oceans and all that live in it,” Krynauw says.
