A SUB antarctic seal was found injured and emaciated on La Mercy beach this afternoon.
Rescuers from the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) and the South African Association for Marine Biological Research (Saambr) were called into action after a civilian came across the mammal.
ALSO READ: Rare Crabeater seal spotted off KZN coast
According to Quentin Power, NSRI Ballito station commander the seal was in a very poor condition and a plan was put in place to capture it.
A sub Artic seal was found on a Durban beach north of Umhlanga by a civilian @NSRI Ballito and a dedicated team from @uShakaMarine raced to the scene The seal is alive rushed to the UMW facility Well done everyone@marshall_sec@northglennews@SABCNews@TheSAnews@LyseComins pic.twitter.com/AIEzDJeD3i
— Andreas The Videoguy ???????? (@CnnAndreas) May 4, 2021
Power said while encounters with the furry mammals along the KwaZulu-Natal coast are very rare, sightings are not out of the ordinary.
“This time of year , over the last couple of years, we have had quite a few sightings. This year alone we have had about four sightings one at Zinkwazi Beach, two at Southbroom Beach and then this one in La Mercy,” he said.
Saambr spokesperson, Ann Kunz confirmed that the seal was very emaciated and had a couple of injuries on its flipper.
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A veterinary specialist at the uShaka Sea World has given the seal fluids as well as antibiotics, and it has been placed in a quiet area for the evening, she said.
Marshall Security
At this stage the vet was unable to determine the sex of the seal, she said.
She said his weight, was currently, the biggest concern.
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