Seal attack at Clifton beach could have been avoided, says Hout Bay Seal rescue

CAPE Town’s iconic seals are becoming more and more prominent this holiday season.

On Tuesday, beachgoers at Clifton 4th Beach were alarmed after a young seal exhibited unusually aggressive behaviour and attacked a child and some other bathers on the busy beach.

In videos seen on social media, the seal was making its way back into the water when it chased and started biting a child that was splashing around in the surf.

In trying to separate the seal from the child, the father was also bitten. Another swimmer was also bitten as the seal got further into the water.

City coastal manager Gregg Oelofse said: “We were alerted to the seal on Tuesday afternoon, and in conjunction with the SPCA and the Department of Fisheries, Forestry and the Environment (DFFE), we sent people on site, and Hout Bay Seal Rescue was also on-site.”

Oelofse said Lifesavers treated the bites on-site before they were sent for medical treatment and that the bites did not seem to be serious at this time.

The City has been in touch with the young child and the father who were bitten and confirmed both were fine at the moment.

The City was also trying to make contact with the other person that was bitten while swimming, seen in the video.

“We were not sure of the circumstances of the seal bite and are still not certain what provoked the attack by the seal.

“Our preference is not to capture and move seals but for them to be allowed to move off, which it did, and rather manage people and try and keep people away from the wildlife,” Oelofse said.

Cape of Good Hope SPCA chief inspector Jaco Pieterse said they were working closely with others in the field to establish the reason for this type of behaviour.

Before the biting incident took place, Hout Bay Seal Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (HBSRC) received a report that two yearlings, very young animals, were on the beach, and one was able to make its way back into the water. However, the second yearling (believed to be the seal that attacked the beachgoers) remained.

HBSRC operations director Kim Krynauw said: “That was when we got the call to assist and remove the animal, but we were asked to stand down by the City and not remove the animal in front of people as it might be upsetting for them to see the animal in a crate being carried up the stairs. The animal was also not ill and did not warrant being removed.”

Krynauw said that if they removed the seal after their first report, this situation could have been avoided. However, this was no fault of the City or HBSRC.

Oelofse said: “We asked them to stand down because we don’t endorse simply removing seals from one beach to another.

“We could not confirm at the time what the circumstances are, and we do need permission from the DFFE before we capture and remove a seal, and that includes seal rescue.”

Cape Argus