Latest news with #sub-Antarctic
Straits Times
3 days ago
- General
- Straits Times
Oh, Gordy: 2,000kg elephant seal takes a wrong turn, ends up in South African suburb
A 2,000kg elephant seal that ended up in a Cape Town suburb resting his head on the hood of a police car. PHOTO: CAPE OF GOOD HOPE SPCA Signed, sealed and delivered. After nine hours of drama and cuteness overload, an elephant seal the size of a small car was herded back to the sea after lumbering across a coastal town in South Africa. The young bull was reported to have lost its way and ended up along a street in Gordon's Bay near Cape Town, startling residents there who then began owning him and calling him 'Gordy'. 'This is unreal. Hi, bro, how did you get here?' one woman asked. The seal was first spotted early in the morning on May 27, already 1km inland. The local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said it was likely he swam over 1,500km to end up in Gordon's Bay. Police and a local security company tried to corral the seal by parking patrol cars around him. The 2,000kg creature rested his huge head on the hood of one car and half-climbed over another before slipping free, crossing a road and carrying on up a sidewalk. He stopped next to a shopping mall. He was also sighted on a small lawn outside a house. Animal welfare officials had worried he was too far from the ocean to find his way back and might become exhausted and dehydrated. 'Wild animals don't always follow the script, and this seal's unexpected journey into a residential area created real cause for concern,' Ms Belinda Abraham, an SPCA spokesman, said in a statement. 'With so many moving parts – traffic, onlookers and a massive marine mammal in distress – it took rapid coordination and clear focus to keep everyone safe,' she said. Police and animal welfare and marine wildlife specialists worked for nine hours to get a 2,000kg elephant seal back to the sea. PHOTO: CAPE OF GOOD HOPE SPCA A team of marine wildlife specialists and a city veterinarian sedated the seal and guided him into an animal transport trailer. By late afternoon, the vet gave the all-clear, and the seal was transported to Kogel Bay, where his recovery from sedation was closely monitored. As soon as he was fully awake, Gordy hopped his way back towards the sea. 'Sea you later,' the Cape of Good Hope SPCA said in a send-off video. The SPCA later reported that Gordy was again spotted on land, near a naval base in Simon's Town, and that he was in a 'safe and secure location with no immediate threats to his well-being'. 'It truly takes a village,' said Ms Abraham. 'We're incredibly grateful to everyone who stepped up today, for their professionalism, their compassion and their quick response to an animal in distress.' Southern elephant seals are the world's largest seal species and are commonly found in sub-Antarctic regions, not South Africa. But every once in a while, lone elephant seals – usually young males – find their way to South Africa's coast. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The South African
4 days ago
- General
- The South African
Elephant Seal BACK on land – this time in Simon's Town
Cape Town's now favourite blubbery visitor has hauled out again - this time at the Naval Base in Simon's Town. Image: Facebook @CapeofGoodHopeSPCA Cape Town's now favourite blubbery visitor has hauled out again – this time at the Naval Base in Simon's Town. The SPCA has confirmed that the Southern elephant seal – unofficially named Gordy – is currently safe and secure in a location where he cannot access any roads, and there's no immediate risk to his well-being. A SPCA inspector and City of Cape Town officials are on scene, keeping a close eye on him. For now, he's simply resting, which is completely normal behaviour. The SPCA will continue to monitor him closely and are ready to step in if he shows any sign of distress or needs help. BACK STORY It's not every day that a Southern elephant seal makes an appearance in a residential neighbourhood, but that's exactly what happened in Gordon's Bay when a sub-adult male was discovered lounging alongside Sir Lowry's Pass Road, nearly one kilometre inland. The call came in at 06:20 and by 07:00, the Cape of Good Hope SPCA had arrived to assess the situation. What followed was a nearly nine-hour rescue operation involving a well-coordinated effort across multiple agencies to ensure the sub-adult male's safety and eventual return to a more suitable coastal environment. From seaside to suburbia Southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina) are the world's largest seal species and are usually found in sub-Antarctic regions. While sightings in South Africa are rare, occasional lone individuals, typically young males, do haul out along our coastline during moulting or rest phases. But making it inland and into a neighbourhood is, by all accounts, highly unusual. 'Wild animals don't always follow the script, and this seal's unexpected journey into a residential area created real cause for concern,' said Belinda Abraham, Spokesperson for the Cape of Good Hope SPCA. 'With so many moving parts – traffic, onlookers, and a massive marine mammal in distress – it took rapid coordination and clear focus to keep everyone safe'. A safe return to the sea While the seal appeared to be unharmed, his urban detour posed risks – both to himself and to motorists. With the assistance of the Law Enforcement, Traffic Services, SAPS, Gordon's Bay Security and Gordon's Bay Medical Ambulance Services, the area was secured and traffic redirected while the SPCA, City of Cape Town's Coastal Management and Marine Unit, SANParks, Two Oceans Aquarium, Shark Spotters and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) stepped in. The SPCA monitored the seal's welfare throughout the incident, including during sedation by a wildlife veterinarian and the difficult process of loading the animal into the City's large game capture trailer. By late afternoon, the seal had been given the all clear by the veterinarian and safely transported to Koggel Bay, where his recovery from sedation was monitored before our team left the site. A community effort 'It truly takes a village says Abraham. We're incredibly grateful to everyone who stepped up today – for their professionalism, their compassion, and their quick response to an animal in distress.' Residents who encounter wildlife in urban spaces are reminded not to approach, feed, or attempt to assist the animals, but rather to contact the Cape of Good Hope SPCA for assistance. The number to dial is 0217004158/9, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. What's the strangest thing you've seen in your street? Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The South African
5 days ago
- General
- The South African
Elephant Seal's surprise visit to Gordon's Bay streets has a happy ending
It's not every day that a Southern elephant seal makes an appearance in a residential neighbourhood, but that's exactly what happened in Gordon's Bay when a sub-adult male was discovered lounging alongside Sir Lowry's Pass Road, nearly one kilometre inland. The call came in at 06:20 and by 07:00, the Cape of Good Hope SPCA had arrived to assess the situation. What followed was a nearly nine-hour rescue operation involving a well-coordinated effort across multiple agencies to ensure the sub-adult male's safety and eventual return to a more suitable coastal environment. Southern elephant seals ( Mirounga leonina ) are the world's largest seal species and are usually found in sub-Antarctic regions. While sightings in South Africa are rare, occasional lone individuals, typically young males, do haul out along our coastline during moulting or rest phases. But making it inland and into a neighbourhood is, by all accounts, highly unusual. 'Wild animals don't always follow the script, and this seal's unexpected journey into a residential area created real cause for concern,' said Belinda Abraham, Spokesperson for the Cape of Good Hope SPCA. 'With so many moving parts – traffic, onlookers, and a massive marine mammal in distress – it took rapid coordination and clear focus to keep everyone safe'. While the seal appeared to be unharmed, his urban detour posed risks – both to himself and to motorists. With the assistance of the Law Enforcement, Traffic Services, SAPS, Gordon's Bay Security and Gordon's Bay Medical Ambulance Services, the area was secured and traffic redirected while the SPCA, City of Cape Town's Coastal Management and Marine Unit, SANParks, Two Oceans Aquarium, Shark Spotters and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) stepped in. The SPCA monitored the seal's welfare throughout the incident, including during sedation by a wildlife veterinarian and the difficult process of loading the animal into the City's large game capture trailer. By late afternoon, the seal had been given the all clear by the veterinarian and safely transported to Koggel Bay, where his recovery from sedation was monitored before our team left the site. 'It truly takes a village says Abraham. We're incredibly grateful to everyone who stepped up today – for their professionalism, their compassion, and their quick response to an animal in distress.' Residents who encounter wildlife in urban spaces are reminded not to approach, feed, or attempt to assist the animals, but rather to contact the Cape of Good Hope SPCA for assistance. The number to dial is 0217004158/9, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Otago Daily Times
14-05-2025
- Science
- Otago Daily Times
Sausage bait for feral cats trialled at Macraes
Recent trials of sausage baits to control feral cat numbers are producing exciting results, the Department of Conservation (Doc) says. Feral cats are one of New Zealand's most ferocious predators, feeding on native bats, lizards, birds and theirs eggs, wētā and other insects. As part of its Predator Free 2050 strategy, Doc worked with pest control company Orillion to develop a meat sausage bait to bolster more widespread control of feral cats. Thousands of baits were scattered from helicopters across a 5000 hectare area of St James Conservation Area in inland Canterbury last spring. For every hectare, one 18-gram sausage was dropped. Nine out of 10 feral cats being monitored by GPS in the area found baits and were killed. Doc national eradication team manager Stephen Horn said the results were promising. "We monitored a sample of feral cats fitted with GPS-VHF collars and nine out of ten cats in the trial area quickly found the baits and were killed," he said. "We also used a grid of 50 cameras to monitor the presence of feral cats before and after the baiting. We detected cats 63 times before the operation and just once after." Monitoring at St James also showed stoat and ferret numbers declined to "very low levels" after the operation, most likely from eating baits. Another recent trial at Otago's Macraes Flat resulted in similar success, with all 11 tracked cats dying. "It's exciting," Horn said. "After several years of bait development these trials take us a step closer to being able to register the new bait for wider use," "A new tool to target feral cats will be a game changer for protecting our vulnerable wildlife, which is found nowhere else in the world." During the trials, the bait was delivered without toxin to cue feral cats to the sausages, and then the second round was laced with small amounts of 1080 (sodium fluoroacetate). It followed previous research showing sausage baits were highly attractive to feral cats and not attractive to most native species, including kiwi and deer. The department would carry out further trials in forested habitats this year, with the risk of baits to taonga species like tuna/eel and kea to be assessed. There were plans for the bait to be used to help remove feral cats from Auckland Island as part of a bid to eradicate all pests, including feral pigs and mice from its large sub-Antarctic nature reserve. A second sausage bait, using the registered toxin para-aminopropiophenone, was in development to control stoats.
India.com
08-05-2025
- India.com
Uncovering These 8 Most Isolated Islands Of The World: THIS Place Has 0 Population, Can You Believe It?
photoDetails english 2897324 Updated:May 08, 2025, 07:00 AM IST Check 8 Most Isolated Islands Of The World 1 / 9 Most Isolated Islands Of The World: Far away from the hustle-bustle of mundane life and crowded places, there exists certain islands in the world which are isolated and so much so that reportedly at one such place only 250 inhabitants are staying. Can you imagine? Well, let's scroll through the list of isolated islands in the world, as per several reports: South Georgia 2 / 9 South Georgia is an island in the South Atlantic Ocean that is part of the British Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. It lies around 1,400 kilometres (870 mi) east of the Falkland Islands. The terrain is mountainous, with the central ridge rising to 2,935 metres (9,629 ft) at Mount Paget. Its estimated population is 32 (summer), 16 (winter), 30 (1945) as per Wikipedia. Tristan da Cunha 3 / 9 This is a remote group of volcanic islands in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is one of three constituent parts of the British Overseas Territory of Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, with its own constitution. The nearest inhabited landmass, St. Helena, is over 1,300 miles away. As of October 2018, the main island had 250 permanent inhabitants, who all carry British Overseas Territories citizenship. The Kerguelen Islands 4 / 9 The Kerguelen Islands, also known as the Desolation Islands are a group of islands in the sub-Antarctic region. According to Wikipedia, the estimated population here remains around 45 (winter) around 110 (summer). Spitsbergen 5 / 9 Spitsbergen formerly known as West Spitsbergen is the largest and the only permanently populated island of the Svalbard archipelago in northern Norway in the Arctic Ocean. Pitcairn Island 6 / 9 According to Britannica, this volcanic island in the South Pacific—the only inhabited island of the British overseas territory of Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, and Oeno islands—is probably best known as the haven of the mutineers of the British ship HMS Bounty, who settled there in 1790. In 2023, the territory had 35 permanent inhabitants, rendering it the smallest territory in the world in terms of permanent resident population. Novaya Zemlya 7 / 9 Novaya Zemlya is an archipelago in northern Russia. It is situated in the Arctic Ocean, in the extreme northeast of Europe, with Cape Flissingsky, on the northern island, considered the easternmost point of Europe. It has an estimated population of 3,576 (2021). Easter Island 8 / 9 Easter Island is an island and special territory of Chile in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in Oceania. The island is renowned for its nearly 1,000 extant monumental statues, called moai, which were created by the early Rapa Nui people. In 1995, UNESCO named Easter Island a World Heritage Site, with much of the island protected within Rapa Nui National Park. Bouvet Island 9 / 9 Bouvet Island is an uninhabited subantarctic volcanic island and dependency of Norway. It is a protected nature reserve, and situated in the South Atlantic Ocean at the southern end of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, it is the world's most remote island. There is 0 population in this island, as per Wikipedia information.
