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Hi,
An update on news of Leopard Seals in Port Philip
Bay. Contrary to other postings, there were two animals rather than one. The
female is probably still around but it occupies private beach areas in Patterson
Lakes. The area is quite difficult to search. It had been spending time basking
on the beach behind Canberra Street which is viewed from the street on the
opposite side of the channel where there is a small park you can look over. The
animal is a small first-year female about 2m in length.
Another animal was also present a while ago. This
was a large male which caused havoc by chasing dogs and small children who
approached the waters edge. The local newspaper reported that it apparently bit
someone who was out on the water but I don't know any more about
this.
According to the local Wildlife Care Officer Jenny
Mills, they are regular and annual in the area. It could be that Patterson Lakes
is good synthesised habitat for a Leopard Seal. There is an abundance of Bream
and also a small Little Penguin colony which may tempt such an animal to stick
around and feed. Her opinion, which is certainly valid, is that these animals
occur and behave naturally and should be left to their own devices if at all
possible. Ordinarily they are not unwell but they may be thin, having been
driven north from teh Antarctic on a quest for food.
The issue of human safety is one that is of some
concern though. I spoke to a number of people walking and fishing in the area
most of whom had not heard of a Leopard Seal. An ex-whaler who new that they had
a reputation for being viscious said they used to shoot them on sight in the
1950s on board the whaling boats. Sadly in years past, shooting of 'rogue' seals
has also been conducted by Australian State authorities, although clearly
Leopard Seals are just behaving normally and are only a problem when they come
into contact with humans -rather like Australian Magpies. These are not animals
that can be easily translocated but Melbourne does have expertise to do this and
I would hope it would be encouraged if at any time an animal was considered to
be a nuisance.
Leopard Seals are a natural feature of Port Philip
Bay as recognised in the draft Strategic Management Plan for the Port Philip Bay
Ramsar Site (Parks Vic, Feb 2002). However, they don't seem to be widely
recognised by the public who, through no fault of their own, may come into
contact with this potentially dangerous wild animal. Hopefully messages like
this could encourage better public awareness of Leopard Seals and, in the
event, help NRE to manage the interaction between seals and people and
benefit conservation.
Cheers,
Simon.
_____________________________________________
Simon Mustoe - Director
AES Applied Ecology Solutions Pty Ltd.
59 Joan
Avenue
Ferntree Gully
Melbourne
Victoria 3156
AUSTRALIA
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