Gordon’s Bay seal spotted: Is it Rocky from KZN?
Rocky the juvenile elephant seal was fitted with with a satellite tag to track his movements.
Image: South African Association for Marine Biological Research
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 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, a young elephant seal, while in the care of uShaka Sea World staff.
Image: Linda Ness
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 May, a sub-adult elephant seal was spotted wandering the streets of Gordon’s Bay on Tuesday morning, nearly a kilometre from the shore. The seal was galumphing along the tarred roads and found its way into a residential area.
An elephant seal was spotted wandering the streets of Gordon's Bay, near Cape Town.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane / Independent Newspapers
The seal was later sedated and safely returned to the ocean after a coordinated rescue effort.
Back in KZN, those who were captivated by Rocky wondered if the Gordon’s Bay seal was their seal.
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 on Tuesday.
“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 5 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.
“As you can see from the map, Rocky seems to really like the cold water. The sea surface temperature over the last week has been between 3 and 10 ºC, which we are certain he is enjoying,” Kunz said.
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.
The sub-adult elephant seal that caused a stir in Gordon’s Bay.
Image: Cape of Good Hope SPCA
Unexpectedly, on Thursday, the Cape of Good Hope SPCA reported that Gordy, the Gordon’s Bay seal, had been hauled out again, this time at the Naval Base in Simon’s Town.
“He’s currently safe and secure in a location where he cannot access any roads, and there’s no immediate risk to his well-being. An SPCA inspector and the City of Cape Town are on scene, keeping a close eye on him. For now, he’s simply resting, which is completely normal behaviour. We’ll continue to monitor him closely, and we’re ready to step in if he shows any sign of distress or needs help,” the SPCA said.
thobeka.ngema@inl.co.za