Seals with rabies at tourist hotspot could leave holidaymakers ‘foaming at the mouth and petrified of water’
SEALS with “cherry-red, evil eyes” have been viciously attacking beach dwellers in Cape Town as the major tourist destination declared a rare outbreak of rabies in the animals.
So far, 11 Cape fur seals have tested positive for the deadly bug, in the second-ever recorded case of the disease in the sea creatures.
Scientists have called on anyone who had been injured by a seal along South Africa’s coastline to see a doctor urgently.
This is because quick treatment and vaccination within 24 hours of a bite are essential for stopping the disease from becoming fatal.
Several reports of the blubbery beasts attacking and biting surfers unprovoked have spurred fears that they might start passing on the incurable bug to people.
Rabies is a viral disease mostly spread to humans and other animals through the saliva of infected animals and can take months to incubate.
Once symptoms set in – which can range from a headache right through to foaming at the mouth, or being petrified of water – the disease becomes virtually 100 per cent fatal
Earlier this year, a seal attacked at least three surfers in the waters off Muizenberg Beach, which is just a few miles from Cape Town.
“This little seal came up at me at high speed,” one of the surfers said in a video posted on Facebook in May.
“It lurched onto my back and bit a hole into my wetsuit over here and kind of bit me on the backside.”
The same angry seal then attached itself to his surfboard and started chewing into the board.
“Eventually it let go, but then it kept coming back at me all the time,” he said.
Last year, American actress Loulou Taylor said she was nipped several times by an angry seal pup as she swam on the coast of South Africa.
Jami Marnitz, who guides snorkelling trips in the area, said the attacking seals typically foamed at the mouth, had “cherry-red, evil eyes” and pursued their targets relentlessly.
“I’ve had my boat’s pontoon ripped,” she told the TV programme Carte Blanche.
‘Quite a few people have been bitten by rabid seals’
The rise in seal attacks prompted confused scientists to investigate the cause, as the animals are typically friendly towards humans.
They initially thought the change in behaviour was down to poisoning by a naturally occurring neurotoxin produced by marine algae.
However, further research identified the cause of the attacks as rabies, which had not been recorded in a seal for 40 years.
Despite daily contact between seals and surfers, the disease has so far appeared to have stayed in the seal population.
“We think quite a few people have been bitten by rabid seals, but luckily no human has got infected yet,” Gregg Oelofse, who is in charge of coastal management for Cape Town council, told The Guardian.
“We don’t know why. Perhaps the transfer rate is low? Does salt water in their mouth reduce the viral load?” he added.
Last month, the Western Cape government confirmed rabies in seals along the coast of Cape Town.
“Residents and travellers are urged to be cautious when visiting our coastline,” it said in a statement.
“Individuals who frequently come in contact with seals or using coastal areas for recreational activities, such as: surfers, divers, water sports enthusiasts, and those in the fishing industry particularly are asked to be extra cautious.”
The Western Cape government added that stored samples collected from seals by Sea Search, a South African research group, are currently being tested to determine the timeline and extent of the outbreak.
An estimated two million Cape fur seals, a protected species also known as brown seals, inhabit the coasts of southern Africa in dozens of colonies on rocky coastlines and islands.
Rabies: Everything you need to know
Rabies is known as a deadly virus that is typically spread through a bite or scratch from an infected animal.
The infection is common worldwide but is predominantly found in Asia, Africa, and Central and South America.
Some of the animals that are most likely to spread the disease are dogs, bats, foxes, skunks and raccoons.
Symptoms
After a bite or other rabies exposure, the virus can take weeks or months to start causing symptoms.
This timeframe is what doctors call the incubation period in which the virus is travelling through the body and to the brain.
Some of the most common symptoms of rabies include:
- Fever
- Headache
- Excess salivation
- Muscle spasms
- paralysis
- mental confusion
The World Health Organization describes two main manifestations of the disease: furious rabies and paralytic rabies.
People or animals with furious rabies may appear agitated, become aggressive, and drool excessively, while other symptoms include hyperactivity, fear of water, and even fear of fresh air.
The symptoms of paralytic rabies, on the other hand, are more understated—typically causing gradual paralysis as a patient remains calm and lucid.
Treatment
you’ve been bitten or scratched by an animal in an area with a risk of rabies you should immediately clean the wound with running water and soap for several minutes.
After this, you must disinfect the wound with an alcohol- or iodine-based disinfectant and apply a simple dressing.
After the wound is addressed, you should see a doctor as soon as possible and they will determine if you need a rabies vaccination or not.
Post-exposure treatment is nearly 100 per cent effective if it’s started before any symptoms of rabies appear.
Some cases will require immunoglobulin, which is administered into and around the wound.
This provides short-term protection if there is a significant chance of infection in the wound.
Treatment should ideally begin within a few hours of being bitten, but can be delayed up to 24 hours if needed.