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This particular Cape fur seal had been severely entangled in 2 nooses, which had caused serious injury. For this reason, the seal was not very active when it was spotted by the Marine Wildlife Specialists at the Two Oceans Aquarium. This provided the perfect opportunity to dart the seal and relieve its pain by disentangling it.

2022 has been a busy year for hatchling strandings - and we've been incredibly grateful for the network of companies and private people that have helped by adopting these hatchlings. But, we must make special mention of Oceans Alive Conservation Trust, an incredible ocean-minded organisation that has assisted the rehabilitation of these tiny hatchlings by adopting an incredible TWENTY endangered loggerhead turtles!

Through the Marine Wildlife Management Programme, the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation has established an ongoing effort to disentangle Cape fur seals in the V&A Waterfront and Cape Town harbour. Many seals become ensnared in nooses of bait box bands, fishing lines, raffia cord and other plastic pollution in this working environment, and if they are left unattended in this state, these nooses cut into the flesh of the seals and cause wounds that lead to the death of the animal.. With some much-needed help from Tandem Cranes, the lower seal platform was recently removed for some refurbishment. This process was necessary as the platform had begun to sink, which obviously meant that it became more difficult to help the seals.

The Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation has a long history of working the great local organisations to further our mission of ocean literacy - and joining forces with The Little Optimist Sailing Academy for an exciting lesson and canal cleanup was no exception!

Behind the Aquarium's closed doors, the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation is hard at work developing a growing research programme, both through primary science and by supporting the academic work of local and international students. Laila Conti is an international student that has been part of our Turtle Rehabilitation Team for several months. Laila is studying aquatic eco-technology at HZ University of Applied Sciences.

Thanks to the continuous support of SPAR, the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation has been given the tools to constantly produce high-level educational content, with limited constraints and difficulty.

For nine months, the seal welfare and monitor team of our Marine Wildlife Management Programme in the V&A Waterfront has been trying to rescue a particularly elusive Cape fur seal, which had become entangled with multiple nooses of improperly discarded fishing line and other litter items. This little seal happened to be particularly stubborn, refusing to rest on the platforms and isolated areas preferred by other seals (and where our team is usually able to reach them), and instead preferring to sleep on top of the bulbous boughs of ships docked in the Port of Cape Town. After months of failed rescue attempts, Marine Wildlife Specialist Claire Taylor and her patrol team decided to take direct action and grab the sleeping seal directly!

There's no way around the facts - at their current rate of decline, African penguins are going to be functionally extinct within 20 years. By 2035, some colonies which have thrived on the South African coastline for hundreds of years will be no more. Without immediate action, a future without African penguins is certain. We can prevent this - we can say #NotOnOurWatch.

We're incredibly pleased to officially welcome Dr Judy Mann-Lang to the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation as its newly appointed Executive for Strategic Projects, where she will be overseeing research and adult training programmes. Many members of the South African ocean community will recognise Judy as the former Conservation Strategist for the South African Association for Marine Biological Research (SAAMBR) in Durban, and we are overjoyed to be able to welcome such a well-known and well-respected figure within marine conservation education and communication circles to the team.