THE seal that washed up on Richards Bay’s Palm Beach on Sunday is reportedly doing well at Sea World in Durban.
She is eating well and has been swimming.
The sub-adult female Sub-Antarctic fur seal was first spotted at about 5.30am by an angler.
The sighting was reported to Durban-based Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife Marine Biologist, Jennifer Olbers, who is part of the stranding network.
Olbers immediately organised a team from Sea World in Durban, which travelled to the Bay and successfully captured the exhausted, hungry and dehydrated seal and transported it to their base.
On her arrival at Sea World, the team was concerned at how thin she was and the fact that she was extremely dehydrated and not very responsive.
PHOTOS: Tamlyn Jolly
ALSO READ: WATCH: Exhausted seal washes up on Richards Bay beach
But by Tuesday morning her condition had improved, she was eating well and had been for a swim.
She is under veterinary care and tests are being done to determine the exact state of her health.
Once fully assessed, a target weight will be determined and, once she reaches that weight and is back to full health, she will be released at a latitude more natural to her habitat.
As the name suggests, Sub-Antarctic fur seals do not live in our waters.
They are found in the southern parts of the Indian, Atlantic and Pacific oceans and breed on Gough and Marion islands.
It is normal for them to venture out of their natural habitat in search of food, and are drawn to South Africa’s east coast during such times as the sardine run.
While strandings of Sub-Antarctic fur seals are common during our winter season as they come ashore to rest, this year has seen strandings of the elephant seal outnumber those of the Sub-Antarctic species.
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