MOSSEL BAY NEWS - The Stranded Marine Animal Rescue Team (Smart) reminds the public to keep their distance from Cape fur seals, whether it be a seal in distress or a pup stranded on the beach, and to call Smart instead.
With several confirmed rabies cases in Mossel Bay's seals last year and this one, Smart is again urging beach-goers to avoid getting close to seals and to only observe them from afar.
Seals can transfer their rabies to a person through contact with its saliva, therefore, humans can be exposed to rabies through bites, scratches or licks to wounds, grazes or broken skin, and the virus can also be transferred via the lining of a person's mouth and nose.
In October last year, Smart rescued a seal presenting neurological symptoms typical of rabies such as stargazing (the head and neck are raised almost straight up), convulsions and possible hydrophobia (extreme fear of water).
It was later confirmed that the seal was pregnant, and both she and her unborn pup had rabies, showing that the virus can be passed on through pregnancy.
Smart founder and committee member Tersia Marais confirmed that most Smart volunteers had received their rabies vaccinations, and only vaccinated volunteers are sent to handle possible rabies cases.
Marais said another thing the public should be mindful of when visiting Mossel Bay's beaches is that it is stranding season for seal pups.
In cases of injured or distressed seals or stranded seal pups, call Smart immediately. If you spot pups with numbers painted on their fur, do not be concerned.
Smart numbers the pups with paint that is not harmful to the animal, to keep track of which pups strand again. Keep a safe distance and send Smart the location and condition of the seal, along with a photo if possible.
Keep children and animals away from the seal, keep calm and keep the noise at a minimum. Under no circumstances should anyone touch the seal, pick it up, try to move it, or attempt to put it back in the water.
The seal should not be given food or water, and should not be crowded in by people standing too close. To report a stranded seal pup or a seal in distress, call the Smart hotline, 072 227 4715.
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