Ayanda Cimani is a seal monitor for the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation, he is being celebrated for his high success rate in untangling seals caught in plastic, fishing line or rope.
Cape Town, South Africa (18 January 2024) – The Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation is highlighting its “ocean guardians” – These people play a vital role in supporting marine life within the Aquarium, the waterfront or the greater Western Cape. They recently honoured seal monitor Ayanda Cimani.
Ayanda plays a vital role within the V&A Waterfront precinct Marine Wildlife Management Programme run by the aquarium’s foundation. He monitors the Cape Fur Seals that use the boat platforms as resting places, making sure they are healthy and working to disentangle them from any fishing debris or human pollution.
Ayanda is being honoured for his proficiency and high success rate in disentangling any seals.
“As a Seal Monitor, Ayanda patrols the waterways, harbour, and surrounds with a watchful eye out for entangled or injured seals. đź’™
He disentangles seals from underneath the Seal Platforms and from the ground, removing plastic, raffia, nylon, and other materials from their necks and flippers. In 2023, Ayanda disentangled 29 seals: the highest success rate of any of our Wildlife Monitors!”
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. You can watch a successful stealthy disentanglement here.
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