Unexpected visitor on St Lucia beach

ST LUCIA residents had a surprise beach visitor this morning when what is believed to be a Cape Fur Seal swam ashore at Estuary Beach.

‘We got down to the beach just after 6am and saw a seal sitting on the sand, about halfway between Estuary Beach’s car park and the Mfolozi River mouth,’ said Rick Pascoe, long-time St Lucia resident and nature guide.

Not having seen one in St Lucia before, Pascoe had no idea why it would have swum this far north.

There have been no major weather or unusual sea system activity to explain the seal’s presence this far north, and while seals do follow sardines during the sardine run, this has not yet started and in any event does not reach Zululand shores.

‘When the seal saw us, it got spooked and went into the water, but after appearing to battle against the current soon came out again and sat on the beach,’ said Pascoe, adding that the creature looked exhausted.

Unfortunately for the seal, it exited the water where the boats launch and the activities clearly caused nervousness.

After a short while, the seal went back into the sea, again appeared to battle in the shore break, but eventually made it through the backline.

Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife officers were notified and will keep an eye out for it should it re-emerge in the area. The seal did not appear injured in any way, just exhausted.

While Cape Fur Seals’ habitation and breeding range does not extend up South Africa’s east coast beyond Black Rocks near Port Elizabeth, rare sightings of wayward seals have been noted over the years. About ten years ago, a Cape Fur Seal was spotted in Durban Harbour, while earlier this month a Sub-Antarctic Seal was spotted in uMhlanga.

Also known as the Brown Fur Seal, South African Fur Seal and Australian Fur Seal, the Cape Fur Seal is the largest fur seal, males growing to just over two metres and weighing between 200 and 300kg. The St Lucia seal appeared fairly young, estimated to measure just over one metre in length.