Cape Town - After the the incidents of unusual conflict between wild seals and people in Cape Town, Environment Minister Barbara Creecy confirmed there has been an increase in the number of incidents of aggression from seals towards humans over the past three years in False Bay, Hout Bay, Table Bay, and Camps Bay.
During the recent summer holiday period, a number of peculiar seal incidents were reported across Cape Town.
In one incident on January 2 a young seal exhibited unusually aggressive behaviour and attacked a child and other bathers at Clifton’s 4th Beach.
The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) and associated stakeholders confirmed at least 26 incidents since 2021.
This was revealed in the minister’s response to parliamentary questions by David Bryant, DA spokesperson on environment, forestry and fisheries to find out if the department has identified any verifiable evidence linking high levels of domoic acid (algae toxins) or any other toxins present in water with unprovoked aggression in fur seals.
Creecy said neither the DFFE nor any other institution has yet to conclusively make this link, however, international investigations have linked the unusual seal and sea lion behaviour to domoic acid poisoning in sea lions in the US.
Tess Gridley, co-director of Sea Search environmental conservation organisation and lead researcher in the investigation on the mass Cape fur seal die-off of 2021/2022, said it was tricky to link the recent aggressive activities of seals with demoic acid or any other causes as it involved knowing which animals have been aggressive and then dealing with that animal, whether it be captured or by observing it.
“We have identified demoic acid in samples from animals in the 2021/2022 die-off and we’re currently working on the brain analysis of the animals that we have found evidence of demoic acid in,” Gridley said.
Creecy said most reported incidents were centred on Hout Bay, an area with a breeding colony of seals around which a successful snorkelling industry operates.
The department has also noted that additional seal colonies have been establishing south of the west coast.
“This accidentally increases seal and human interactions as more seals have been seen in urban areas and/or areas of high human presence,” Creecy said.
Bryant said: "Taking the (minister’s) response into account, it is most likely that the reason for an increase in attacks over the festive season was increased human/animal conflict in areas where seals occur naturally.
“As per the minister, there is no evidence that Cape seal behaviour has been changed by Cape Town seawater, as alleged in some reports and as confirmed recently by the minister, the City of Cape Town maintains extremely high standards of water quality along the coast."