Ayanda Cimani and Martine Viljoen took an above-and-below approach in an effort to save two seals at the same time – Watch what happens:
Cape Town, South Africa (22 February 2024) – Two more seals are free of the ropes and plastic that bound them, thanks to the efforts of the Marine Wildlife Management Programme run by the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation. Ayanda Cimani and Martine Viljoen both celebrated successful detanglements.
Footage of Ayanda’s latest rescue was shared online this morning and it highlights his determination to save as many seals. He was the most successful disentangler of 2023 with 29 rescues. Now he adds another one to his belt.
“Our Marine Wildlife Management team disentangled two Cape fur seals at once! š¦
While Ayanda Cimani used a specially designed cutting tool to disentangle a seal on the Seal Platform, Martine Viljoen (in a wetsuit underneath the platform) did the same with another entangled seal! š
Our Marine Wildlife Management Programme highlights the importance of teamwork every day, but this case was truly one-of-a-kind!”
The team is needed because seals often find themselves tangled up in nets and pieces of plastic. Sometimes, these seals will live with the pollution attached to their bodies for far too long. With this awesome team at hand, any time there is a seal in need, they work to save it. Even if it takes weeks to catch the clever seals.
Cape fur seals feed on shoaling fish, squid, octopus, sharks and rays, all of which sometimes find their way into the maze of the waterfront, making the area a great place for the seals to hang out.
Because of Ayanda and Martine, two more seals swim freely without any human restraints!
Watch the team cut the ropes and plastic below:
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