Durban – A feisty subantarctic fur seal managed to close a popular Durban beach after he beached to rest on Monday.
The seal, a male thought to be approximately 8-years-old, has been named “Moyo” after the site where he was first spotted off the coast of Durban.
UShaka Sea World spokesperson Ann Kunz said that Moyo had been trying to beach for several days but the busy beaches had deterred him.
“It looked like he was trying to get ashore but every time he saw a person he would head back into the water. When things quieted down at Suncoast beach he came ashore last night,” she said.
“When we went to the beach last night he was sleeping peacefully and when we got back this morning his energy levels had picked up a little.
“He was in a good condition and was nice and beefy, so the decision was taken to put him in a crate and take him to a nature reserve on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast where he can rest up.”
She said that seals like Moyo spend 80% of their lives at sea and need to come ashore to regain their strength.
Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife officials, Police Search and Rescue Unit officers and uShaka personnel used a net to snare the feisty seal and herd him into a crate.
“He was released onto the beach at the reserve and an Ezemvelo KwaZulu-Natal Wildlife official is there to watch him to make sure he is not hounded by any people.
“When he is ready to go again he will return to the water,” Kunz said.
News24
