Is the seal in Gordon’s Bay Rocky, the KZN star?"
Dubbed “Gordy”, the elephant seal that was released back to the ocean after wandering in Gordon’s Bay, nearly a kilometre from the shoreline, has hauled out again – this time at the Naval Base in Simon’s Town. The Cape of Good Hope SPCA said Gordy is safe and secure in a location where he cannot access any roads, and there’s no immediate risk to his well-being.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane Independent Newspapers
Marine lovers have not forgotten about Rocky, a juvenile southern elephant seal stranded on a beach in KwaZulu-Natal.
This was evident when they wondered if the seal galumphing in Gordon’s Bay this week was Rocky.
A healthy-looking Rocky had been stranded in Rocky Bay in October last year, and a uShaka Sea World team decided to relocate him to a quieter beach to rest without interruption.
Rocky returned to the water but was hauled out again on another beach.
It was then decided to take Rocky to the uShaka Sea World rehabilitation facility for tests and recovery.
Rocky the juvenile elephant seal was fitted with with a satellite tag to track his movements.
Image: South African Association for Marine Biological Research
In March, after spending five months under the care of uShaka Sea World staff, Rocky was hoisted onto a vessel heading for Cape Town.
He was reintroduced into the ocean off the continental shelf 25 nautical miles from Gqeberha.
Fast forward to Tuesday, a sub-adult elephant seal was spotted wandering the streets of Gordon’s Bay, nearly a kilometre from the shore.
The seal was galumphing along the tarred roads and found its way into a residential area.
Gordy spotted wandering the streets of Gordon's Bay.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane / Independent Newspapers
The seal, dubbed Gordy, was later sedated and safely returned to the ocean after a coordinated rescue effort.
The Cape of Good Hope SPCA yesterday said has hauled out again—this time at the Naval Base in Simon’s Town.
They added that he is safe and secure in a location where he cannot access any roads, and there’s no immediate risk to his well-being.
Back in KZN, those who were captivated by Rocky wondered if Gordy was their seal.
The South African Association for Marine Biological Research (Saambr) spokesperson, Ann Kunz, said many saw the video of the elephant seal causing a stir in Gordon’s Bay that was widely shared on social media and mainstream media.
“We received a number of calls enquiring whether the seal was in fact Rocky, who we returned to the ocean in March this year after he spent five months in our care,” Kunz said.
“The Gordon’s Bay seal is fortunately not Rocky, who is currently approximately 1 200 km south of Cape Town.”
Rocky was nowhere near Gordon’s Bay when a sub-adult elephant seal explored the area on Tuesday.
Image: South African Association for Marine Biological Research
Before release, Rocky was fitted with a satellite tag to track his movement over the next year or so.
She said Rocky has travelled almost 4 000 km since he was dropped off 50 km south of Gqeberha and seems to be “rocking it down south”.
“So all is well with Rocky, and we are happy to report that the Gordon’s Bay seal was returned to the ocean,” Kunz added.
Cape Argus