An angry seal pup attacked two swimmers at Clifton Beach on Tuesday, the latest in a spate of similar incidents that have prompted the City of Cape Town to caution beachgoers about marine wildlife.
Video footage of the seal attacking beachgoers at a popular Cape Town beach was shared widely across social media on Wednesday.
The small seal is seen snapping at a boy in the surf, prompting beachgoers to come to his rescue. It then swims behind American actress Loulou Taylor, before biting her.
Taylor shared on her Instagram account that she was bitten six times and had to go to the ER. She shared with her followers that she was on the mend.
City coastal manager Gregg Oelofse confirmed the incident and said lifeguards are monitoring the situation in case the seal returns, in which case it may be removed.
“It is unusual behaviour to see it target people in the water. But it could be that the seal is under stress and pressure,” he said, adding that the beach was crowded at the time.
“Most seals will avoid conflict, so the incident is a bit unusual, but we are not sure how much pressure it was under.”
He warned beachgoers to give otters and seals a wide berth. An otter also recently made headlines for playfully nipping several swimmers at Dalebrook tidal pool in Kalk Bay. The bites were not aggressive but had to be treated and caused concern.
The City of Cape Town’s deputy mayor, Andy Andrews, encouraged residents and visitors to keep their distance from marine animals.
“Residents and visitors are encouraged to treat all marine and coastal wildlife with respect and to remove their pets from areas where wildlife may be present.”
The city said it was aware of the incident that happened at Clifton Fourth Beach.
Source: News24, IOL, The Citizen, The South African, Times Live, image from Twitter: @allcapetown
