Seal center Pieterburen salvaged two dead seals on the beach of Castricum this afternoon. The animals were found at post 46.50. According to Pieterburen, there is no reason to panic: it is quite normal that dead sea creatures occasionally wash ashore.
That has everything to do with summer storm Poly from a little less than two weeks ago. “When there is a lot of storm at sea, dead animals wash up a while later,” says Emmy Venema van Pieterburen. “Like dead porpoises and seals, so we don’t know how they died.”
State of decomposition
What is certain is that the animals had been dead for some time. “They were already in a state of decomposition. That is why they are no longer interesting for us to take for research.” An external company collected and processed the seals, Venema explains.
Washing up the seals is therefore no reason to panic. “It’s not that something is going on at once. The animals are old and then they die. They had been dead for a while.”
What to do if you find a seal?
Venema explains the best thing to do if you find a dead seal on the beach. “Call the Seal Center. We keep an eye on all stranded animals. It is also very nice if you take a photo. We may come and collect a ‘fresh’ animal for examination.”
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