The Cape of Good Hope SPCA has appealed to the public to be aware of a lone Leopard Seal that has made itself comfy on a public beach in Milnerton.
Milnerton, Cape Town – The Cape of Good Hope SPCA are asking the public to be mindful of a Leopard Seal that is currently resting on the Lagoon Beach. He has been named Leo.
“Earlier today (28 August 2019), we were notified of a Leopard Seal resting at the mouth of the river at Lagoon Beach, Milnerton. There were initial concerns that the Seal was in distress and our Wildlife Team responded immediately. These seals are the second largest species of seal in the Antarctic and are not native to our shores.
Our current visitor is an adult male, 2.56m in length and he is still growing. He has been assessed and in spite of the fact that he is a bit thin, this is likely because he is in the process of moulting. Leopard Seals are known to be very aggressive and are dangerous as their bite can cause severe damage.
We thank the concerned citizens of Cape Town and ask that our visitor be admired from afar. He will be closely monitored by ourselves as well as the Department of Environmental Affairs and the City of Cape Town during his time spent on our shores and you can be assured that if he is left undisturbed and unstressed, that he will find his own way home.”
All dogs should be kept on leashes, and as suggested above, a safe distance should be kept at all times. Earlier this year Buffel was found on Fish Hoek beach and he was very happy to spend his moult on our shores.
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