07 November 2024 | 10:56

Over half of dead female seals in Mangystau were pregnant

Photo: instagram.com/azamat_sarsenbayev

Tengrinews.kz - More than half of the female seals found dead along the Caspian coast in Mangystau were pregnant, according to Assel Baimukanova, an operator and environmental awareness specialist at Kazakhstan's Institute of Hydrobiology and Ecology. In an Instagram post, Baimukanova shared the probable causes of the mass deaths of Caspian seals, describing the event as sudden and unnatural.

Tengrinews.kz - More than half of the female seals found dead along the Caspian coast in Mangystau were pregnant, according to Assel Baimukanova, an operator and environmental awareness specialist at Kazakhstan's Institute of Hydrobiology and Ecology. In an Instagram post, Baimukanova shared the probable causes of the mass deaths of Caspian seals, describing the event as sudden and unnatural.

According to Assel Baimukanova, 305 dead seals were discovered along the Tupkaragan Peninsula’s coast between September 27 and October 30. Ten of these animals had visible injuries, such as cuts, decapitation, and entanglement in nets or ropes.

"Some of these injuries may be accidental, while others likely result from illegal fishing activities. Most of the deceased seals, however, showed no signs of such damage," she noted.

A special commission found an additional 121 seal carcasses during inspections on November 4-5.

The Institute of Hydrobiology and Ecology has collected samples to analyze to help identify the cause of death. However, Baimukanova cautioned that the advanced decomposition of many carcasses limits the extent of the analysis.

"It is alarming that over half of the examined females were pregnant, and all seals were well-fed, suggesting they were young and healthy before their sudden deaths. It appears that the mortality event occurred as they congregated in the northern Caspian for their seasonal migration and breeding," the ecologist explained.

Baimukanova highlighted that potential causes could be natural, such as earthquakes or natural gas emissions, or man-made, including pollution of sea areas. A disease outbreak has not been ruled out.

"To thoroughly investigate the situation, a multidisciplinary approach is needed, involving experts in fields like geology, oil and gas extraction, ecology, chemistry, toxicology, virology, and more," Baimukanova concluded.

In October, over 100 dead seals were discovered along the Caspian Sea coast in the Tupkaragan district by the Zhaiyk-Caspian Interregional Basin Fisheries Inspectorate.

Caspian Sea wildlife nature seal

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