Seals massacre in Namibia: over 12 pups found dead, climate change blame?

A massacre of baby seals on the coast of Namibia. Over 12 thousand small specimens have been abandoned by their mothers

He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him

Heartbreaking images come from the Namibian coast: over 12 baby seals have been abandoned or left to die by their mothers. The cause of this real massacre has not yet been established, but we think of malnutrition due to climate change. But the presence of toxic toxins or diseases are not excluded.

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There are not only pups, but also some adult seals. Their bodies lie on Pelican Point beach. For weeks, researchers have been on the alert: thousands of South African seal pups are abandoned by their mothers on the coasts and more than 12 have already died.

This is the situation at Pelican Point, Namibia. All the little red circles mark dead seal pups. A rough estimate brings the numbers to more than 5000 at our seal colony alone. This is tragic, as it makes up a large portion of the new pup arrivals expected in late November. pic.twitter.com/sBwLAGRVM8

— Ocean Conservation Namibia (@NamibiaOcean) October 14, 2020

Seals usually give birth in November and it is not yet known why the pups were born prematurely. For the non-profit association Ocean Conservation Namibia, the most probable cause would be climate change: with the currents too hot, the seals could have died of starvation because the schools of fish they eat have moved from Pelican Point.

@Namibian Dolphin Project

@Namibian Dolphin Project

@Namibian Dolphin Project

“However, we cannot exclude that the massacre is due to toxins or diseases”, explains Naude Dreyer, marine biologist at the head of the non-profit association. “It's tragic to walk around and see these mothers, we don't have formal rehabilitation centers in Namibia and when they get to this point of malnutrition it's hard to get them to recover,” adds Dreyer.

Fonte: Namibian Dolphin Project

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