Community rallies around stranded seal on Port Shepstone Beach
The Southern Elephant seal named Porky is in good health and may soon be released off the coast of Gqeberha.
It certainly took a village to keep the South Coast’s latest marine visitor safe and sound.
A team from the South African Association for Marine Biological Research (Saambr) based at uShaka Marine World collected a seal that appeared on Port Shepstone beach on the evening of May 18 after receiving multiple reports from the public, including concerns about harassment of the animal.
Tweni resident Tanya Nadauld from the KZN Marine Stranding Network, who was concerned for the seal’s safety during its stay in Port Shepstone, thanked members of Lazer 911, Wolf Security and Mi7 who stood guard over the seal, even throughout the night.
The Southern Elephant seal has since been named Porky.
Interestingly, Southern Elephant seals are not native to South Africa. They are the world’s largest seal species and can dive to an unbelievable 2km deep.
Ann Kunz of Saambr said the team decided on the name because Porky is far from malnourished.
“We are unsure whether Porky, who is a Southern Elephant Seal, is a male or female,” she said.
Kunz said the Animal Health and Seal teams spent the morning observing Porky’s behaviour and found the seal to be in good health and excellent condition.
“It was decided that the best option would be to try and arrange a quick release off the shelf from Gqeberha,” she said.
“We are currently in discussion with Bayworld in Gqeberha to explore this option. If all goes well, we will be able to transport Porky to Bayworld before the end of the week.”
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