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The Hout Bay Seal Rescue Centre (HBSRC) has denounced the attacks on seals after yet another one of the animals was brutally killed allegedly by people who thought it was infected with rabies.

The non-profit organisation released a statement on Thursday after the senseless attack on a juvenile seal at Muizenberg Beach that morning, the Cape Argus reported.

While the Cape Town seal population has been plagued by rabies, which is passed on through saliva and affects the central nervous system of mammals, it does not warrant people killing the sea creatures.

“Just a few weeks ago, another young seal was beaten to death under the guise of disposing of an animal that had rabies. Not all seals have rabies, in fact only a small percentage do, so it is senseless to kill any seal you come across, just because you suspect it to have rabies,” HBSRC spokesperson Kim Krynauw said.

This is following an incident in which the organisation received a call for assistance at Muizenberg Beach, where a young seal had been attacked by people thinking it was rabid.

“Upon closer inspection, our team realised that the seal had been speared (stabbed) and had also sustained what looked like a head injury. This type of thing is happening more and more. We receive reports of seals being shot at, gaffed, and stabbed daily.”

…“We need members of the public to refrain from engaging our wildlife, if you think it might be infected or in danger rather call the authorities and allow them to handle the matter. Our seals are protected animals. It is illegal and wrong to feed or harm them,” she said.

The Animal Welfare Society of South Africa (AWS) has also strongly appealed to the public to not attack any wild animals, ever, at all.

AWS spokesperson Allan Perrins said: “It is normal for seals to haul out to rest on beaches. They may behave aggressively if they feel threatened. However, this should not be misinterpreted as the seals being rabies-positive. People should take precautionary measures and avoid contact with seals.

“In this instance killing the seal was senseless, cruel and unlawful. By taking the law into their own hands the perpetrators unwittingly placed themselves at extreme avoidable risk,” Perrins said.

Following the incident, the body of the seal was handed over to the SPCA and Law Enforcement, with the relevant authorities investigating the matter in collaboration with the City of Cape Town and the Department of Forestry Fisheries and Environment.

SPCA spokesperson Belinda Abraham said they can’t confirm the exact cause of death until a postmortem has been carried out and are appealing to anyone with any information that may assist them to contact The Cape of Good Hope SPCA on 021 700 4158/9 or email inspectorate@spca-ct.co.za

In the meantime, the City of Cape Town’s Directorate for Spatial Planning and Environment also appealed to residents to stay away from any seals (or other coastal wildlife) to limit disturbance and stress in these animals.

Mayco member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Eddie Andrews, noted how it was normal for seals to rest on our beaches before returning to sea but that there have been several incidents of attacks on seals in Cape Town in recent months.

“Any person found causing disturbance to a seal may face prosecution in terms of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act (NEMBA), Marine Threatened or Protected Species regulations, and the Animal Anti-Cruelty Act. Offenders could also be fined by the City of Cape Town’s Coastal By-Law for disturbing marine wildlife along our coastline.”

He reiterated that seals are a protected species and that if a member of the public decides to take the law into their own hands, there will be consequences.

Just stay in your lane, folks, please.

[source:iol]