“Not Common in South Africa”: Cape Town Beachgoer Spots Giant Elephant Seal

• A man at a beach near Gordon's Bay in the Western Cape shared a video of a large elephant seal making its way to shore
• It was a rare sighting for many people, as elephant seals are not indigenous to South African waters
• The video had many social media users stunned, with a few thinking the clip was created using artificial intelligence
• A representative from Two Oceans Aquarium shared with Briefly News whether the animal was a famed elephant seal and what people should do when encountering such a sea creature

Over the weekend, a man at a beach near Gordon's Bay was one of many who spotted a majestic sea creature exiting the water and making its way to the sand, a sight that excited many viewers.

Elephant seal makes an entrance

TikTokker Chris Rogers shared the viral video of an elephant seal, which he thought was a giant rock until he saw the creature move.

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Sharing his thoughts about the animal's presence, an excited Chris wrote:

"These are not common in South Africa and are mostly found further south in Antarctica! It appears to be in a moulting phase and is most likely looking for a safe beach to lie on to finish moulting."

Watch the TikTok video below:

Are elephant seals indigenous to South Africa?

According to Two Oceans Aquarium, elephant seals are not indigenous to South Africa, with the closest colony living over 2 000km away from Cape Town on Marion Island.

"Occasionally, one will swim all the way to our shores to moult. This is when they become vagrant species."

The Cape Town-based aquarium notes that "vagrancy" refers to a natural occurrence of animals appearing outside their typical geographical range.

"The presence of elephant seals on our beaches is a remarkable sight and an opportunity to educate the public on respectfully co-existing with wildlife."

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What to do when near an elephant seal

Heather Wares, Two Oceans Aquarium's communications manager, shared with Briefly News five things to do when near elephant seals:

1. Respect their space

"Keep your distance. Make sure a minimum of 20-30m lies between you and the seal at all times.

"Respect any cordoned-off areas by remaining behind barriers."

2. Avoid interacting

"Do not attempt to approach, feed, touch, or pour water over the seal as this can cause unnecessary stress."

3. Minimise noise and movement

"Avoid making loud noises or sudden motions that could startle the seal."

4. Control children and pets

"Keep children and pets well away from the seal. It is advisable to put your dog on a leash whenever a seal is in the vicinity."

5. Report sightings

"Contact local conservation authorities like our Marine Wildlife Management Programme to ensure the seal is monitored and protected appropriately. You can contact the Aquarium at 021 418 3823.

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"Respecting these guidelines helps protect our visiting elephant seals and ensures a memorable experience for everyone from a safe distance."

Heather also shared with the publication that the elephant seal was not the famous Buffel, who occasionally graces Capetonians with its presence.

"The reason we can say this with a great amount of certainty is that Buffel has an identifiable yellow tag on his back flipper and is recognisable by a scar above his left eye, both of which were not present on this individual seal."

Elephant seal's presence surprises SA

A few social media users were fascinated to see the sea creature, while others couldn't help but comment on the elephant seal's size. Some app users were even in disbelief and thought the video was fake.

@thys362 jokingly told the public:

"It's coming out for a smoke break."

In awe, @irvincarelse wrote in the comment section:

"That thing is big."

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After seeing some people's comments, a humoured @candice.bacon said:

"It's so funny that people think it’s AI."

@supercars.15 joked about the elephant seal's intentions, writing:

"He just wanted to say hello."

@cannonroxnsurf shared their opinion with the public:

"Magnificent creature. They have no experience with humans, so they have no fear at all."

A proud @mariam.samodien told the online community:

"Only in Cape Town will you see such beauty."

3 Other stories about sea creatures

• In another article, Briefly News reported about Springbok star Handré Pollard and his wife, Marise, heading to Mauritius to swim with dolphins.
• A 22-year-old Russian mermaid performer was attacked by a sea creature she shared a tank with at an aquarium. The footage startled many social media users.
• A young man kayaking off the Chilean Patagonia found himself inside a whale's mouth after the sea creature swallowed him and spat him out.

Source: Briefly News