Help at hand for orphaned newborn fur seals

THE Hout Bay Seal Rescue Centre and Network for Animals have joined forces to raise awareness of the plight of orphaned newborn seals that are in desperate need of sustenance.

This comes following reports of multiple Cape Fur Seal deaths around the West Coast, with the number continuing to rise.

Hout Bay Seal Rescue Centre administration and fund-raising director Kim Krynauw said that with their mothers dead, seal pups fall victims to the aftereffects of overfishing and pollution.

“Marine plastic debris is one of the most pressing environmental concerns facing the world today. Animal entanglement, microplastic ingestion, bioaccumulation of toxins, endocrine system disruption in humans – these are just a few of the devastating effects that plastic pollution has on us and the environment.”

“More than 8 million tons of discarded plastic ends up in our oceans every year.

“As one of the keystone species in marine ecosystems, seals help maintain a balance in the food web as they are an important food source for larger predators like orcas, polar bears and sharks.

“Through their movements, seals also help to cycle nutrients through the water column, and transfer them from sea to shore,” said Krynauw.

Network for Animals executive director David Barritt said because there were fewer fish, mother seals had to hunt further away from the shore and became separated from their pups. As a result, pups become isolated and they end up washed up on the beaches.

“Seal pups, some just weeks or even days old, are washing up on the shore – weak, orphaned and desperate for food.

“These are the youngest victims of the seal crisis – their mothers dead, their bodies still covered in afterbirth or with placentas still attached.

“They aren’t old enough or strong enough to fend for themselves; they’re barely able to lift their own heads. It’s only the ‘lucky’ ones who wash up, clinging to life, just in time to be rescued.

“Royal Canin baby pup milk has proven to be very successful in raising seal pups. The challenge is cost.

“Krynauw and her team are the only people dealing with this problem. We help by providing milk and pilchards for older pups. Without this food, and without Kim and her team’s care, these seals would starve to death,” said Barritt.

With several pups left motherless, Krynauw strongly believes in putting an end to overfishing to put an end to the atrocities.

“Companies should stop overfishing. Illegal weapons on ships should be removed and the fishing industry should start taking accountability for all animals.

“People should also think continually about pollution and start cleaning up the ocean before it is beyond saving,” said Krynauw.

A YOUNG Cape fur seal settles in the arms of an SPCA inspector soon after being found abandoned on a beach in Fish Hoek. l ALAN TAYLOR