Our hearts were full with relief this morning when we were finally able to help this watery Kalk Bay Harbour resident. Over the past three weeks, we received several calls about this seal who had fishing hooks painfully lodged in his side and in his rear flipper. Every time we responded to these pleas for help, the seal had already jumped back into the water, having been disturbed by tourists and people wanting to get a closer look or take photographs of this beautiful creature. Once he had jumped back into the sea, there was no way of us safely catching him, and each time, we had to leave and wait for another opportunity. Finally, this morning Chief Inspector Jaco Pieterse and his team set off early and caught the seal while he was still sleeping on the pier, where the seals of Kalk Bay Harbour normally rest.
Usually when rescuing seals, we use a fully covered seal net but this morning Chief Inspector Pieterse used an open net so that the hooks could be removed safely, quietly and quickly, Chief Inspector Pieterse approached the seal, slipped the net and cover over the seal’s head, and with his experienced sleight of hand deftly removed two hooks from the seal’s side and rear flipper. Once done, the seal was in a hurry to get back into the harbour, Chief Inspector Pieterse had to make sure that he didn’t vanish while still in the net!
Remember, seals are wild and can be aggressive, so it’s always best to call on our experienced wildlife department as soon as possible and give these beautiful wild creatures their space. The Cape of Good Hope SPCA thanks the public for notifying us about the seal. Our Inspectorate is open 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year to ensure no animal suffers. You can get hold of us on 021-700-4158/9 or after hours on 0833261604.
