The Bitou Municipality has explained events leading to euthanasia of a seal at Plettenberg Bay’s central beach, on Saturday.
Andile Namntu, the Spokesperson of Bitou, said a seal behaving badly was caught on camera and videos shared with marine and veterinary experts to assess the situation – Dr Greg Hofmeyer and Dr Gwen Penry.
“In line with established rabies protocols, Plettenberg Bay shark spotters and Central Beach lifeguards were immediately alerted. As a precaution, lifeguards cleared swimmers from the water when the animal moved closer to the bathing area.
But the seal came ashore near members of the public, and lifeguards continued crowd control to ensure safety.”
Experts concluded after reviewing videos that the animal’s abnormal behavior, was consistent with rabies symptoms.
Dr Greg Hofmeyer, marine mammal specialist, said “the decision to euthanize was not taken lightly. The animal’s behavior was highly abnormal and consistent with rabies, a fatal disease that poses serious risks to both humans and other animals. Removing the seal was the safest course of action to protect the public and to allow for diagnostic testing. This ensures we can respond appropriately and transparently to any confirmed rabies cases in the region.”
The animal was packaged for laboratory testing to confirm rabies.
Officer Anton Mostert also submitted a formal statement to the police about the incident.
Picture: TripAdvisor