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Dead seals have been washing up along beaches in the Western Cape following an outbreak of rabies in the marine animals.
Cape Town coastal manager Gregg Oelofse says they believe this to be the first spread of rabies within a marine mammal population.
She says this is concerning and that rabies in seals is rare.
He says Cape Town has recorded 11 positive rabies cases in seals so far.
Meanwhile, a Cape fur seal who had to be euthanized in Mossel Bay last week due to aggressive behaviour at a popular bathing spot at the Point has tested positive for rabies.
The Mossel Bay Municipality says in a statement this marks the first confirmed case for Mossel Bay.
The municipality says it is in the planning phase of designing notice boards which will be placed strategically at beaches to alert members of the public of the necessary information pertaining to rabies among Cape fur seals.
A workshop was recently held at the Joint Operations Centre of the Mossel Bay Municipality where Dr Greg Hofmeyr, Curator for Marine Mammals, from Port Elizabeth Museum at Bayworld, guided discussions in developing a response plan.
The public is advised to keep a distance from seals at all times, both in water and on land.
