Our seal rescue season for 2023 is concluded with 680 successful rescues. We might be able to disentangle a few more bachelor seals at the fish factories near the harbour docks, but our colonies at Pelican Point and Cape Cross are off limits. Breeding season has started, there are newborn pups everywhere. Day by day, we see fresh seal pups with their mothers, the new generation looks strong and healthy.
Some of those babies were only born because their parents were rescued from a fatal entanglement. Each seal pup is a little trophy for us, a reward for the hard and often dangerous work.
Seal mothers "share custody" for the first few weeks. While some mothers are at see foraging, others stay behind to protect their pups from jackals and birds. Newborns cannot swim for the first few weeks of their lives, they would drown or get trampled during a rescue stampede. New life needs to be protected from predators, including us. We would do more harm than good. OCN has to take an involuntary break from rescues for at least 4 weeks.
Here is our predicament: entanglements do not stop. They show no mercy, they happen day and night, 365 days a year. While we take our unwanted break, some unlucky seals like the one in the picture will fall victim to fishing line, packing straps, fishing nets, plastic bags, old clothing or ropes - while we stand helplessly at the sideline. We spotted 3 more entangled seals at Pelican Point this morning while kayaking - all of them out of reach. Some will still be around in January, others won't.
