A Hout Bay seal rescue group say they are encountering an alarming number of injured Cape Fur Seals lately.

According to Hout Bay Seal Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre operations director Kim Krynauw they are assisting many seals in poor condition.

“We are seeing a lot of seals with broken lower jaws and also had a seal who had its face slashed off with a panga. We also find a lot of seals with fishing gut around their necks.

“These animals are killed daily, whether they are shot, stabbed or suffer panga injuries.They also experience starvation. It’s just horrific. There’s also eight cases of rabies in seals which could only be caused by canine attacks,” she said.

HBSR raised awareness on the issue of seal cruelty through a Facebook post published on their page concerning a seal which was found in Muizenberg with a broken jaw last week. It is alleged that the seal was attacked.

“Another juvenile seal with a broken jaw was found in Muizenberg this week. This is the fourth youngster in a space of days, we understand rabies is a huge issue but perhaps we should also be focusing on the ongoing cruelty happening too,” the post read.

This seal was found at Muizenberg beach on Wednesday June 25, according to HBSR manager, Amos Lipenga.

“We were alerted about a seal with a broken jaw last week on Muizenberg beach. Upon arrival saw that the animal was unable to move. After we rescued the seal we took it to the vet where we were told it had to be put down sadly,” Mr Lipenga said.

Last year, an SPCA-led operation saw five seals moved from the harbour to an undisclosed location after there were reports that the animals were subjected to abuse and exploitation (“SPCA relocates harbour seals,” Sentinel, November 17).

Helderberg ocean awareness movement founder Lisa Starr agrees that more should be done to safeguard seals.

“The number of seal injuries we encounter is quite an eye opener. In the past few weeks HBSR have rescued more seals with broken jaws than normal. Once we also found a seal carcass with what appeared to be a bullet wound, on Strand beach in December last year,” Ms Starr said.

Hout Bay police chief Lieutenant Colonel Jerome Syster says they have not recorded incidents of seal attacks recently.

The Cape of Good Hope SPCA are working closely with the relevant authorities on matters pertaining to seals, said spokeswoman Belinda Abraham.

“We are not aware of any incidents of seals being attacked by pangas - no such reports were made with our office. The SPCA is aware of the seal with the jaw, however, at this stage there is no conclusive evidence to prove what happened to the seal and we do not want to speculate,” she said.

When asked if the SPCA suspects that the Muizenberg seal with the broken jaw was attacked, she said: “A post mortem was conducted on the remains and there was no indication that the injuries were inflicted by a human. It is the vet’s opinion that the injury was likely caused by another seal.”

However, Ms Krynauw rebutted with: “We have only seen these types of injuries inflicted by people. Another animal would not just break a jaw. It would have a lot more laceration and bite marks.”

The SPCA also confirms that there are currently eight confirmed rabies cases including positive test results on tissue samples from 2023.

“We can confirm that there are currently eight confirmed cases of rabies in Cape Fur Seals,” the City said.

If anyone has any information regarding seal attacks, they can call 0217004158/9 or email inspectorate@spca-ct.co.za. Reports can be made anonymously.

Helderberg ocean awareness movement founder Lisa Starr says that they found this seal in December last year and suspects it was either shot or gaffed.

Five Hout Bay Harbour seals were seized by the Cape of Good Hope SPCA and relocated for their safety in November last year.

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