Cape Town – A visitor from the south in Cape Town, "Edward Flipperhands", is set to be released next week, the Cape of Good Hope SPCA said on Friday.
Edward, a fairly rare Sub-Antarctic Fur seal, was found malnourished and in distress three weeks ago along the Muizenberg shoreline, Cape of Good Hope SPCA spokesperson Belinda Abraham told News24.
"He has definitely wormed his way into our hearts – who wouldn’t fall in love with those big eyes," Abraham asked.
Edward was taken to the SPCA’s Grassy Park Wildlife Unit after a concerned member of the public stumbled upon the seal pup.
"We believe he might have become disoriented during the current storm season the Cape is experiencing. This may have caused the pup to be separate from his mother or his mother might have passed away," Abraham said.
She said the organisations hope Edward will gain roughly six kilogrammes before he can be released back into the wild.
"His prognosis has really been incredible. We have stopped having to force feed him through a tube and he’s eating – a lot – on his own."
Edward thoroughly enjoys Orley Whip and liquidised sardines, Abraham said.
"While he has gotten used to humans, we are sensitive to ensure he doesn’t become too comfortable with humans as a source of food."
"Edward Flipperhands", as he was dubbed by the SPCA, will be transported by boat to a location best suited to a successful release which will see him returned to the wild.
The last time a seal of this kind washed out onto the Cape shoreline was in 2014 during a time of similar stormy weather, Abrahams said.