Video: Seal acts strange, bites fisherman in Mossel Bay
Roger Constance (58) was bitten on the leg and ankle in the process. He has since received treatment against rabies at the Mossel Bay Provincial Hospital.
The public is warned to be careful around any seals on the beach, whether they seem aggressive or not.
The Stranded Marine Animal Rescue Team advises that the public keeps a safe distance when they spot any seals and to report them to 072 227 4715.
Watch video of the seal here:
Meanwhile, a report by the agriculture department reads that the rabies outbreak most likely started with a jackal bite and are here to stay reports George Herald.
While there is no way to know for sure how patient zero got infected, the Western Cape Department of Agriculture's head of communication, Mary James, said the most likely explanation was that a rabid jackal had bitten a seal somewhere on the Namibian coast.
From there, seal-to-seal transmission likely took place.
'Jackals are known to predate on seal pups along the Namibian cost, and researchers have taken photographs and videos of them biting seals, as well as getting in skirmishes with adult seals protecting their young,' she said.
The June 2024 outbreak marked the first time rabies had been recorded in South African Cape fur seals.
With eradication of the virus in large wildlife populations being very difficult and using oral vaccines not being a feasible option for seals (because they don't normally scavenge for food), James said rabies in seals is just something we'll have to live with for the time being.
Read original story on www.mosselbayadvertiser.com
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