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Where Is Gru The Sub-Antarctic Seal Released Off Durban This Morning Heading

Where Is Gru The Sub-Antarctic Seal Released Off Durban This Morning Heading

Date: 2014-06-20
Gru, an adult Sub-Antarctic fur seal was brought into uShaka Sea World on Saturday, April 26th by staff from Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife after stranding on a beach between Banana Beach and Hibberdene on the lower South Coast. He was desperately thin and had injuries to his flippers and an infected left eye.

He was immediately put on a ringers subcutaneous drip to assist rehydration and hosed down frequently to bring his temperature down. He was started on a course of antibiotics andkept separate from other animals in a quiet enclosure, which afforded him the opportunity to rest as much as possible.

Once he started eating, he eagerly looked forward to feeding times which saw him polish off 6 kilograms of fish a day, divided into three feeds. The fish he was offered was laced with vitamins and other essential minerals to aid his recovery. It became apparent after a month in rehabilitation that he was ready for release and plans began.

Gru continued to eagerly consume every morsel of fish offered to him and gained more than 20 kilograms in the six weeks he was at uShaka Sea World. He certainly was ready to go back to the ocean and begin hunting again.

Early on Thursday, June 12th he was encouraged into a crate and loaded onto a bakkie for the short drive to the Ski Boat Club in Durban. At the ski boat club he was loaded onto a rubber duck and taken 10 nautical miles out to sea. He was not the only discharged patient on the boat as a Gannet that had also spent time in the rehabilitation centre was released from the boat a short distance from shore.

The release was just like everything that happened around Gru -smooth, unfussed and uncomplicated. After the crate door was lifted, Gru leant forward and peered into the water for a second before he dived in without a backward glance.

uShaka Sea World will start receiving satellite information in a few days and it is hoped that Gru will not head north but south, either along the coast or straight down towards Marion Island. Until today there was no way of knowing where a seal went after he left the shores of KZN ...Gru's journey will be followed with great interest and we will keep you informed.