Ziggy begins long swim home

It’s a long swim to freedom — and sometimes you need a little help.

The young elephant seal which arrived in a historic event at Pine Lodge in October was released in the Agulhas Current about 70km off Port Elizabeth on Friday for his 2,000km journey home to the Southern Ocean.

Bayworld marine biologist and Stranding Network regional co-ordinator Dr Greg Hofmeyr said on Sunday the release had gone well.

 “We released him at that spot because that’s the nearest point to access the Agulhas which flows down the east coast of Africa before deflecting south off the Agulhas Bank.

“It’s the perfect spot to drop off any creature which needs to get back to the sub-Antarctic and the waters and islands of the Southern Ocean, which is where this guy needs to go.”

The little elephant seal was born in late October on a spit of sand behind Pine Lodge Resort.

While vagrant adult elephant seals do occasionally strand on the SA coast, this was only the fourth time one of these animals had pupped here — and the last time was in the 1950s.

Hofmeyr had raced to the scene after being alerted and he realised that with the rising tide and the inadequate beach the mother had chosen, the newborn seal was in danger of drowning.

So he took the decision to grab the pup and with a team of volunteers stretchered it down to a bigger beach at the Cape Recife lighthouse.

The mother followed and the two animals spent the next three weeks there watched over by their human minders while the pup grew quickly bigger thanks to his mother’s nutritious 50% fat milk.

One day in mid-November, as per the anticipated elephant seal schedule, the adult female, which had been named Zelda, having done enough mothering, lumbered across the rocks and disappeared into the surf to start her swim home.

Ziggy the pup was taken into protective custody at Bayworld and then as his weight neared 100kg Hofmeyr — who did his doctorate on the elephant seals of Marion Island — decided it was the right time to release him.

Two anonymous sponsors covered the fuel costs and Raggy Charters chipped in with a reduced rate.

Ziggy was fitted with a special satellite tracking device which was glued to the fur on his head with a marine epoxy.

The device will last about a year until he moults.

He was loaded gently into a crate for the three-hour journey out to the release point.

Hofmeyr said the seal would stay at sea for the next few months before hauling ashore for the first time in winter, hopefully on one of the Southern Ocean islands.

There is however a possibility that he may take a wrong turn and land up on the SA coast again and if anyone does spot him they should call the Stranding Network hotline 071-724-2122.