Rare leopard seal seen on Cape Town beach

Posted by Anita Froneman on 16 July 2021

A rare sighting of a leopard seal on the beach at Kommetjie, Cape Town greeted the Cape of Good Hope SPCA on Wednesday, July 14.

‘We were alerted to a leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx) on the beach at Kommetjie. Although we do not see these visitors often, as they are primarily found in the Antarctic, they have on occasion visited our shores. They are then known as ‘vagrant’ leopard seals,’ the Cape of Good Hope SPCA said on Facebook.

The team investigated as there were concerns that the seal might be in distress and have some wounds. ‘Our Wildlife Department responded immediately to assess our large visitor. Our visitor, a female, is not suffering and does not have any significant injuries. We applied some wound spray to an older wound that appears to be healing,’ the SPCA added.

It is quite normal for seals to come out to rest on land as they are semi-aquatic. Seals come to land for various reasons such as resting, giving birth, or moulting.

‘Leopard seals are known to be very aggressive and are dangerous as their bite can cause severe damage. We work closely with and consult City of Cape Town Coastal Management, Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment and Two Oceans Aquarium when dealing with these marine animals,’ the organisation continued. ‘Our visitor is still enjoying our beautiful beach and scenery and has decided to stay a bit longer.’

Shark Spotters were deployed to her location to keep the public informed and to ensure she is left undisturbed. Members of the public are asked to stay away and leave her undisturbed and to keep children and dogs far away from her.

Picture: Shark Spotters

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