Update: Post-mortem results on Sunset Beach Aardvark revealed

The Cape of Good Hope SPCA has commented on the death of a female Aardvark that washed up at Sunset Beach, Milnerton, on Friday. Photographers, Alex and Juanita Aitkenhead, discovered the body and suspect the involvement of animal trafficking.

Read: Aardvark washes up on Cape Town’s Sunset Beach, Milnerton

An autopsy, conducted by attending wildlife veterinarian Doctor Luca Mendes, ruled out drowning as a cause of death.

The statement reads:

“The aardvark, an adult female, was in otherwise good condition, with no signs of external trauma that might have indicated how she came to be floating in the sea. Examining her heart, he noticed conditions that would indicate that she had suffered from heart failure and some fluid on the lungs would indicate shock lung; which is a state most often caused by suffocation (such as being kept in a box with no ventilation might induce).”

The Cape of Good Hope SPCA will continue to investigate this “mysterious event” and will be looking at camera footage and taking into account reports received from several eyewitnesses to help solve this case.

If you have any information, please contact the Cape of Good Hope SPCA on 021 700 4140 or email [email protected].

The conclusion is that the aardvark was already dead by the time it went into the water, either having been dumped overboard a ship close to shore or was somehow put into the sea from land.

Cape Town photographers Alex and Juanita Aitkenhead captured a female Aardvark washed up at Sunset Beach, Milnerton, on Friday at around 6pm.

The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds has removed the animal and handed it over to wildlife services for evaluation.

Alex commented: “We are convinced it was a trafficked animal that died and was tossed overboard, maybe one or two hours before we found her, as she was in an immaculate condition when discovered in the surf.” This is yet to be confirmed.

Visit alexaitkenhead.co.za for more wildlife and travel photography.

ALSO READ:174 tortoises were released into the wild by Cape of Good Hope SPCA

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