Rocky the elephant seal: a journey of recovery at uShaka Sea World
Durban — A young male elephant seal taken into the care of South African Association for Marine Biological Research (Saambr) experts has slowly gained confidence and is eating more than six kilograms of fish daily.
In early October, the seal, now named Rocky, appeared at Rocky Bay on the lower South Coast of KwaZulu-Natal.
Since he appeared to be in good health, it was initially decided to relocate him to a quieter beach within a Marine Protected Area where he would hopefully rest for a few days before heading off home. Although he did return to the water after a day or two, he did not head off home but hauled out again on another popular beach.
Saambr spokesperson Ann Kunz said it was then decided the seal would be safer if he was taken to the uShaka Sea World rehabilitation facility where further tests could be done and allow him to recover in peace.
“Over the past 5 weeks, Rocky has slowly gained confidence and is now eating just over 6 kilograms of fish each day. His total fish allocation for the day is divided into three equal feeds which he looks forward to. His diet is made up of squid, cuttlefish, pilchards and other small schooling fish which he sucks in with relish,” explained Kunz.
“He currently weighs 107kgs and we hope that by the time he is ready for release, he will have gained another 8kgs.”
Kunz further explained that Rocky could not be released anytime soon because he was undergoing his annual moult.
She said all seals undergo an annual moult when they shed their coat fur before emerging with a beautiful new coat. Whilst undergoing a moult, seals generally remain on land and do not spend long periods in the water hunting for food. Seals usually put on weight before beginning a moult.
“We hope that Rocky’s moult will be complete within the next month or so which means Rocky will, in all likelihood, be with us for Christmas,” Kunz said.
Earlier this month, Kunz said that with their sea turtle stranding season in full swing, Rocky the southern elephant seal was not the only special admission to their hospital in recent weeks.
Kunz said they admitted two beautiful hawksbill turtles, Oink and Olive, they were found stranded on northern KZN beaches.
“Oink, who came in from Cape Vidal, is the smaller of the two turtles. Olive, who is 10 times larger than Oink, came from Mazengwenya in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park. Both turtles were driven on separate occasions from northern KZN to Durban by members of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife,” Kunz said.
She explained that like all hawksbill turtles, Oink and Olive sport striking ornate shells marking them as the most beautiful of all the turtles in the hospital and the most sought after in the illegal wildlife trade.
She said hawksbill turtles have been listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) due to many human impacts.
“Upon arrival, both animals appeared exhausted but only Olive was found to be slightly underweight,” Kunz said.
“Initially, we were cautious about their chances of survival. But after various diagnostic tests, (radiographs and blood), and high levels of specialised care, their prognosis is now rated as cautiously optimistic. Both animals are healing well and will remain under close observation for the next few weeks.”
Kunz added that hawksbill turtles do not nest natively in South Africa but spend time in our waters searching for sub-tropical feeding grounds. They are named for their sharp hawklike beak and in some areas support coral reefs by controlling the growth of sea sponges.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, hawksbills feed mainly on sponges by using their narrow pointed beaks to extract them from crevices on the reef, but also eat sea anemones and jellyfish.
They are a fundamental link in marine ecosystems and help maintain the health of coral reefs and sea-grass beds.
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