PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Oh shame! This is most probably the first greeting a seal pup stranded on the beach would get.
But, beware!
As cuddly and pitiful as it might appear, their teeth carry serious bacteria; and in the current situation affecting seal populations in the Western Cape, it could be rabid.
On Monday 25 November, the first seal pup of the summer season washed ashore on Robberg Wreck beach.
'Washed off the rocks'
"Every year, I prepare for seal pups that get washed off the rocks at their colony and end up washing ashore on Robberg beach, alive," says Cape Nature senior marine ranger, Chanel Visser.
Visser, who has just been named as Best Marine Ranger at the 2024 African Conservation Awards, says the pups cannot swim properly until they are about three months old and so they face the danger of drowning.
'It came unexpectedly'
"Luckily, though, some of them manage to wash ashore alive, due to the fact that they are rather buoyant in the water," says Visser.
"The latest little one sure surprised me, as it came unexpectedly in good weather conditions. Usually, we expect them to strand when there are strong easterly or south-easterly winds, or large swells onto the Robberg peninsula that wash them off the rocks where they were born."
'Awesome opportunity'
Visser had planned a training workshop with fellow stranding network colleagues and volunteers on Monday morning 25 November, "so this little one provided an awesome opportunity for me to train everyone with an actual live pup".
Checking out a baby seal.
"We covered the new Standard Operating Procedures to adhere to when handling seal pups," she says, referring to the personal protective equipment the "rescuers" wear while handling a pup: masks, safety glasses and gloves, closed shoes and oilskins.
'Volunteers pre-vaccinated'
"Once our training session was over, the awesome guys at @offshoreadventures returned the pup via boat to a pup nursery within the seal colony. This gives the pup a second chance at life - in the hope that it will be reunited with its mother."
Visser makes an impassioned plea: "Please, if you see a live newborn pup on the beach, as cute as they are, do not handle them. And keep your dogs away, too.
"We need to be extremely cautious of all seals with rabies present in our seal colonies in South Africa.
"Our volunteers are pre-vaccinated.
Long-term management
"Rabies can be shed in saliva and not just transmitted via bites.
"Call us for assistance as soon as possible on the stranding line: 079 463 4837."
The eradication of rabies in Cape fur seals is unlikely: rabies appears to have become endemic in the Cape fur seal population and requires ongoing and long-term management by coastal authorities. Rabies is tens of thousands of years old and can infect any mammal, including humans.
1 If bitten, wash the wound with soap and water immediately for 10-15 minutes;
2 Report all suspected or confirmed cases to the State Vet through the Plett Rabid Seal Task Team (reports can be sent to the Plett Stranding Hotline on 0794634837);
3 Please stay away and take videos! Send footage ASAP and help to protect people - keep them away!;
4 Euthanasia is a justified response given the high risk posed by a potentially rabid seal. Two expert opinions are needed in making the decision to euthanise.
"A quick response to seals ashore, pups included, and dead seals as well, ensures that the animals will receive the attention they require and also ensures public safety," says Visser.
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