Image related to website content

UPDATE: Western Cape Avian Influenza and dying seals

3 Nov 2021

The Western Cape Disaster Management Centre is aware of reports of dead and dying seals in several areas across the West Coast of the province. Between Laaiplek and Dwarskersbos in the Bergrivier Municipality region, 144 seals were buried this morning with another fifty at Elandsbaai.

The Minister of Local Government, Environmental Affairs and Development Planning, Anton Bredell, says the provincial government and all its partners have been looking into the matter over the past few weeks.

“The dying seals are not linked to the Avian Influenza outbreak. Rather it appears that the seals are dying due to malnutrition. The situation is still being investigated. In addition, we are urging the public not to feed any seals despite the concerns about malnutrition. The animals remain wild creatures and must not be made dependent on human interaction for survival.”

Bredell says the Avian Influenza crisis in the Western Cape is not yet over but the numbers of dying birds continue to decline which is a welcome sign.

“Yesterday roughly 150 dead birds were found across the province in the affected areas. The bulk of the dead birds was on Dyer island where 122 Cape Cormorants were found.”

To date a grand total of 16 514 wild dead birds have been reported, of which the vast majority affected is the Cape Cormorant.

Efforts continue to address the ongoing outbreak. The public is also urged to continue to be vigilant and report unusual mortalities in any birds to their local municipality, conservation authority or state veterinarian. The SPCA and NSPCA may also be contacted. Contact details for state veterinarians are available at https://www.elsenburg.com/services-and-programmes/veterinary-services-0#s=Animal-Health-and-Disease-Control

Share:

Related News

Dont Be Trashy campaign fights waste on land and sea in Western Cape Blog Image
4 Sep 2025
Don’t Be Trashy campaign fights waste on land and sea in Western Cape

CapeNature, in partnership with Soapbox and the Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning (DEA&DP), is working on the “Don’t Be Trashy” Drive to address the growing threat of waste to ecosystems across the province.

CN Access Week Mobile Blog Post
1 Sep 2025
Celebrate the 11th annual Access Week and grab your chance to experience nature for free!

Rediscover the beauty of the Western Cape’s protected areas during the 11th annual Access Week, taking place from 20 to 26 September 2025. CapeNature is celebrating over a decade of breaking down barriers to the Western Cape’s natural spaces, with free day visitor entry to selected reserves across the province. 

Caucasian male fishing in a pond surrounded by tall green water reeds Med
26 Aug 2025
Catch and release helps to conserve the Western Cape’s indigenous fish

Freshwater ecosystems across the Western Cape are rich in biodiversity, supporting a variety of indigenous fish. However, these species are increasingly threatened by the spread of invasive alien fish species, that prey on indigenous species and compete with them for food, space, and breeding grounds.

Cape Nature Green Noise Blog Image with Julia Louw from Wesgro Tourism and Itumeleng Pooe
19 Aug 2025
Celebrating innovative, resilient women in tourism

Women are thriving in tourism and wielding influence from the boardroom to hiking trails, where they beat a pathway for others to follow. They occupy 70% of the tourism workforce in South Africa, and their voices are being amplified in the sector now more than ever. A powerful yet often overlooked statistic that underscores their vital role in the sector.

Klein Estuary Image 1
15 Aug 2025 by Pierre de Villiers
Rivers, Watersheds, and the Klein Estuary: A 2025 Natural Breach Event

Over millions of years, South Africa’s rivers and watersheds have evolved through the forces of erosion, rainfall, and shifting geology. A river catchment, or watershed, is an area of land where all surface water flows toward a single river, stream, or channel, eventually reaching the sea.

Seagull image by taryn elliott
14 Aug 2025
Avian Influenza detected in Western Cape: Public urged to stay alert, not alarmed

High pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI or “bird flu”) is a viral disease of birds that can also, on rare occasions, infect humans and mammals. The virus spreads through bird faeces and droplets from the nose and mouth, and is present in other body fluids and tissues of dead birds. The disease can cause high mortality rates in domestic poultry.