Seal posing rabies threat euthanised at Plettenberg Bay beach
Seal incident involving erratic behaviour at Central Beach, Plettenberg Bay, on the morning of 27 December.
Image: Facebook/Bitou Municipality
A seal was euthanised about 200 metres off Hobie Beach in Plettenberg Bay after local authorities reported that it was behaving erratically and moving closer to the bathing area.
The incident took place on Saturday, December 27, after Bitou Beach Control observed a seal exhibiting erratic behaviour near the bathing area. Shark spotters and Central Beach lifeguards were alerted and cleared swimmers from the water.
According to Bitou municipality, the seal subsequently came ashore near members of the public, and lifeguards continued crowd control to ensure safety. Video footage of the animal was shared with the Garden Route Rabies Response (GRR) group, which includes leading marine and veterinary experts such as Dr Greg Hofmeyer and Dr Gwen Penry.
After reviewing the initial footage, the GRR requested further videos to assess the animal’s condition.
Additional footage confirmed abnormal behaviour consistent with rabies symptoms. On expert recommendation, the decision was taken to euthanise the animal to protect public safety and allow for rabies testing, the municipality said.
“NSRI’s Jaco Kruger and police officer Anton Mostert, both members of the GRR response team, attended the scene. After careful observation and in consultation with GRR, the seal was humanely euthanised approximately 200m off Hobie Beach. The carcass was retrieved to the Central Beach launch site, where lifeguards maintained crowd control.”
They said the animal was further packaged for laboratory testing to confirm rabies.
"The decision to euthanise was not taken lightly. The animal’s behaviour was highly abnormal and consistent with rabies, a fatal disease that poses serious risks to both humans and other animals. Removing the seal was the safest course of action to protect the public and to allow for diagnostic testing. This ensures we can respond appropriately and transparently to any confirmed rabies cases in the region," said marine mammal specialist and GRR member, Dr Greg Hofmeyer.
Cape Times