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Selso cruises home

Selso cruises home

Date: 2014-01-17
Selso is a young 22-month old Southern Elephant Seal that underwent rehabilitation at uShaka Sea World in Durban, after being stranded in June of last year on a beach in KwaZulu Natal.

Originally from the sub-Antarctic regions, Selso was underweight and far from home. The young seal should have been triple his weight on admission to uShaka. Led by resident veterinarian Caryl Knox, the uShaka Sea World Veterinary and Animal Care team liaised with veterinarians and scientists both internationally and locally to ensure he received the best possible chance of recovery.

In August of 2013, Mike Meyer from Oceans & Coasts (from the South African Water and Environmental Affairs Ministry), Nico de Bryn (University of Pretoria) and Greg Hofmeyer (from BayWorld, in Port Elizabeth), all of whom have vast experience in marine mammal management and elephant seals, met with the South African Association for Marine Biological Research (SAAMBR) CEO, Judy Mann and the uShaka Sea World Veterinary and Animal Care team to discuss the way forward for Selso.

It was then decided Selso's best option would be to be released once he had reached a weight of 180kg and had completed his annual moult.

Selso recently reached both milestones, tipping the scales at 180kg's. That's when uShaka Sea World decided to ask for MSC Cruises' help releasing him into in his natural environment.

Before his release he was fitted with a satellite tag which will allow scientists from Oceans & Coasts to monitor his whereabouts for up to a year.

Selso was embarked onboard the MSC Sinfonia in Durban on Thursday, 9th January 2014, lifted in a crate on the foredeck and secured under cover. He was released off the coast of Port Elizabeth on Saturday, 11th January at 19h00, 25 nautical miles off the Cape Coast. During the 2-day cruise he was cared for by uShaka Sea World veterinarian Francois Lampen, and principal caregiver Colette Bodenstaff.

Selso has won people's hearts and hopefully helped to highlight the fact that, no matter where you live we are all connected to the web of life."

"MSC Cruises is proud in having assisted in Selso's release," noted Allan Foggitt, Director of Sales & Marketing MSC Cruises SA. "We were approached and enthusiastically responded to the call for help. It was the right thing to do."

Upon Selso's release his crate was hoisted over the side of the Sinfonia with Wayne Sumpton positioned on the top of the crate and lowered a metre from the water. Wayne lifted the door on the one side of the crate and then moved over to lift the gate on the other side. The moment the second side was opened Selso dived into the water and surfaced briefly before disappearing.