Elephant seal delights beachgoers at Jeffreys Bay

Bathers were pleasantly surprised when an elephant seal washed ashore and decided to settle down for some much needed rest at Jeffreys Bay in the Eastern Cape.

NSRI Jeffreys Bay crew Elaine and Ernie Schmidt responded to calls for help on Wednesday and found the young seal‚ seemingly in good health‚ on the beach at Walskipper in Aston Bay.

“As members of the public came to observe the seal‚ or arriving on the beach to simply spend their day on the beach‚ the seal would move toward them‚ resulting in them having to move away. The public responded positively‚ respecting the animal's need for space and an opportunity to rest in peace. After about an hour and a half the animal settled down and slept‚” said Schmidt.

Dr Greg Hoffmeyr from the Animal Stranding Network in Port Elizabeth was contacted and suggested that the seal be moved to a quieter area so it could rest.

Hoffmeyr and Nikita Camara‚ a veterinary intern‚ the NSRI responders and two members of the public captured the seal and took it to a remote beach where it was later tagged and released.

“The interesting aspect is that this seal is very young‚ about one year old. Its natural habitat is in the deep Southern Ocean islands‚ such as Marrion Island. Some three or four of them are found on our southern beaches at this time of the year. They apparently moult‚ discarding their old fur‚ and then head back south to their home territory. This particular seal already has its new coat of shiny grey/white fur and is likely to leave for its home territory soon‚” said Schmidt.