Cape Town - An investigation is under way into an oil spill which occurred in Hout Bay a week ago. This comes after several wildlife species, including two yearling seals, were soiled with diesel oil.
Cape of Good Hope SPCA chief inspector Jaco Pieterse said: “We had to wash two yearling seals. However, the wild population was also affected.
“At this stage we cannot confirm how many were affected as one cannot easily see which seals are soiled with oil and diesel because it is a clear colour. We now have to wait and see who is affected and then attend to those.”
Operations director at Hout Bay Seal Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre (HBSRC), Kim Krynauw, said the animals living in the harbour were still being monitored. She said the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, with the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure, were investigating the incident.
HBSRC and the SPCA confirmed that the engine oil spill was immediately contained by SpillTech.
“The spill was engine oil from one of the boats near the HBSRC centre,” Krynauw said.
She it was not a large spill; there were about two drums of engine oil but SpillTech was efficient and cleaned up quickly, and luckily no other seals were affected due to their nature.
Pieterse said: “Adult seals will generally know to avoid getting too close to the oily, smelly stuff so we were not too worried about them, but the babies haven’t yet learnt to steer clear and were swimming through the toxic oil.”
The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (Sanccob) was also called in to clean the seals.
After monitoring the seals, Krynauw said the washing appeared to have distressed them. She said they were working out the correct protocols for the situation as no one in South Africa had protocols regarding oiled seals.