Unusual sightings along the Garden Route Coastline
I started early, took my dog,
And visited the sea;
The mermaids in the basement
Came out to look at me.
This is the first stanza of Emily Dickinson’s poem ‘By the sea’ and I think that almost everyone who lives along the Garden Route can identify with it. How many of us make regular, almost religious pilgrimages to the sea? We may go on our own for solitude and contemplation or with family (including the dogs) for fun, exercise and enjoyment. But whatever the reason one almost always takes note of what may be found washed out and left behind on the sand. The shells, jellyfish, drift wood and bits of sponge. Every day is different and sometimes you get a surprise. Sometimes something really amazing and unusual is waiting to be found.
The 8th of July was one such day. At 2pm I received a message to say that a rockhopper penguin was on the beach near Sedgefield. The man who found it happened to be knowledgeable about penguins, having spent some time working on Marion Island and South Georgia, in the southern ocean.
Rockhopper penguins, distinguished by the crest of spiky yellow and black feathers that adorns their head are usually found in the Southern ocean along the shorelines of the islands north of Antarctica, from Chile to New Zealand including Gough, Tristan da Cunha, Prince Edward Islands, Marion Island etc. They are among the smallest of the penguins and get their name from the way the bound over the ground as opposed to waddling like other penguin species. They are gregarious, returning to the same breeding grounds each year where they gather in huge colonies, numbering in the 1000s (up to hundreds of thousands).
This little guy was a little on the thin side so after checking with all relevant authorities the penguin was easily caught and transported to Plettenberg Bay for rehabilitation by Robberg Veterinary Clinic and under guidance from SANCCOB. Happily he was recently deemed healthy, after gaining an extra 1kg in body weight, and released offshore.
The rehabilitated rockhopper penguin just prior to its release.
The leopard seal making its way back out to sea.
Cape fur seals on Robberg, Plettenberg Bay
Even more surprising than the appearance of the rockhopper was the discovery of a leopard seal in Plettenberg Bay on the 3rd of August. There have literally only been a handful of recorded sightings of this species along the South African coastline. Being generally solitary animals they are widely dispersed at low densities around Antarctica and although not abundant, are regular winter visitors north to the sub-antarctic and southern ocean islands.
This one was however a long way from home and why it had swum so far north will probably remain a mystery. But it seems that those that do venture north are generally young and in poor health.
Leopard seals have long muscular bodies and very large heads giving them an almost reptilian look. They are top predators and use their large jaws to hunt fish, penguins, squid and other seals. The leopard seal found on Robberg Beach in Plettenberg Bay was about 2m long and therefore still a juvenile. They reach lengths of nearly 4m when fully grown and can weigh 600kg. This individual was thin, but expert assessment decided there was no need to interfere with nature, and after a short break ashore this young male went back into the water on its own, but may come out again somewhere else along the coastline so we are asking anyone who may spot it to please report it to one of the numbers below.
Each visit to the coastline is a treasure hunt and hopefully the sea will continue to surprise us every now and then. However, when it comes to live animals, be they seals or penguins, please give the animals their space and should they be injured do not try to capture them yourselves. Rather call the correct authorities and let them know about the sighting. Remember not all seals that you find on the beach are in trouble, some may just be resting and it is common to find a Cape Fur Seal (see picture above) resting on the beach.
If you come across a penguin, seal, whale or dolphin on the beach along the Garden Route please report it to one of the following numbers:
