On this first day of a hopefully healthy and successful new year, the OCN team would like to thank everybody who has helped us in many different ways to rescue 606 seals from their certain fate in 2021.

It has been an extraordinary year for us - our team has doubled in size from three (Naude, Katja and Antoine) to six members (Denzil, Wally and Kat) and we have been able to rescue bigger animals than ever before, all thanks to refined strategies and better equipment and the immense support through social media. Who knew that a few seal rescues on the Namibian coast could affect millions of people from all over the world?

As we wrap up 2021 and prepare for our new rescue season 2022, we would like to share some of our data with you. In 2021, we have done 606 successful rescues. About two thirds of our rescues are done with the rescue net, the other third by hand. Males seem to get themselves slightly more often into trouble than females, and seal pups are by far the biggest age group among entangled seals. 

We often get asked how many of our rescues are successful. We are very proud to say we have a 90% success rate: if we see an entangled seal, there is a 9 out of 10 chance that we will successfully catch, cut and release the animal. 

What entanglement do we mainly have to deal with?
As you might have guesses - discarded fishing lines (commercial and recreational) have caused more than half of our entanglements. The data is very clear: the fishing industry is directly responsible for the majority of seal entanglements. Some packaging straps and other industrial entanglements can surely also be attributed to fish factories, but we do not know the exact percentage. Packaging strap is used in many other industries too.

We have no idea what 2022 has in store for us, but we have no doubt that it will be a busy year. Every day brings new challenges. We are currently busy with bird rehab - please meet Jerry! He is the lone survivor of 5 cormorants who ended up covered in Diesel during a very questionable wreck explosion on 23 December. Hopefully we can release him soon. We are not equipped or trained in bird rehab, it was a very challenging week, we only stepped in because there were no available alternatives. The birding community, particularly SANCCOB, is very well connected and has given us extraordinary support and walked us through every little step of the rehab way. Thank you.  

We are looking forward to another impactful year. Our crew is ready for whatever comes our way.

Thank you. 

Naude & Katja & The OCN Team