Cape Town, South Africa, issued a plea on Thursday for beachgoers to respect seals and refrain from approaching them. This came after a woman was bitten by one of the animals, which subsequently succumbed to stress after enduring “days of repeated harassment.”
Following the attack on Wednesday at the renowned Strand Beach, located southeast of the iconic port city, the woman was transported to a local hospital and received treatment for a bite wound, as confirmed by local authorities.
“Over the last few days, this seal was simply trying to rest on the beach which is normal and expected seal behaviour,” said Cape Town’s deputy mayor Eddie Andrews.
However, members of the public engaged in disturbing behavior towards the seal, including pelting it with rocks, prodding it with sticks, setting dogs upon it, and taunting it to capture video footage of the seal chasing them, as reported.
The seal eventually confronted a woman who was enjoying an evening stroll on the beach and inadvertently walked into the animal, failing to notice its presence.
On Thursday morning, a portion of the beach was temporarily closed, and an animal protection team transported the seal to a local aquarium for a health assessment. Regrettably, the seal passed away while at the aquarium, according to the city’s statement.
“This is sadly a very common outcome when seals are stressed,” said Andrews.
“We ask that all residents and beachgoers in Cape Town leave these animals in peace”.
