Bakkies Is Back!

Southern elephant seals have been spotted on Cape Town’s shores, once again! These fascinating, and rather large, marine visitors (or vagrant visitors) from the South Atlantic Ocean, make an appearance seasonally to haul out of the water for their moulting period. One special individual, Bakkies the elephant seal, has made a return.

Capetonians are used to celebrities visiting the city and its shores, even if they are not the two-legged kind. One ‘celebrity’, the vagrant elephant seal, Buffel, has made regular appearances along Cape Town’s coast for many years. This year it is
Bakkies, the elephant seal, who has made a return visit, arriving on the beach at Onrus on the Southern Cape coast.

When sighted, Bakkies’ identity was confirmed by the blue tag #17612 on his back flipper, as part of a joint effort by the South African Polar Research Infrastructure (SAPRI), Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), and our Marine Wildlife team.

Confirms Marine Wildlife Manager at the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation and V&A Waterfront, Martine Viljoen, “Bakkies, originally flipper tagged at Bakoven in December 2024 was last reported near Mouille Point in April. He most recently hauled out at Onrus Beach.”

In response to Bakkies’ most recent appearance, the Overstrand Municipality’s Environmental division quickly set up a protective cordon. Volunteers from the Onrus Vermont Special Rating Area NPC also stepped up, taking dedicated shifts to spread awareness and ensure Bakkies had undisturbed space to rest. Both these organisations are active members of the South African National Stranding Network.

Comments Coastal and Environmental Manager for City of Cape Town, Gregg Oelofse, “It’s incredible to see the effort from the Two Oceans Aquarium Marine Wildlife team paying off, especially around tagging and vaccinating these elephant seals. Had the individual not been tagged and vaccinated when it was in Bakoven, we would never have known that the same seal later seen in Onrus was already vaccinated and previously recorded. It really highlights the value and reward of the team’s hard work, something we can all be grateful for.”

Giants of the seal world

As the largest of the world’s seal species, southern elephant seals are true giants of the seal world. Males can grow to lengths of nearly 7m and weigh as much as five tonnes! 

Southern elephant seals have a wide distribution in the Southern Ocean, with most of the breeding and resting sites on the Subantarctic and Antarctic islands. The closest colony of these seals lives about 2177km away from Cape Town, on South Africa’s Marion Island. These enormous seals spend most of their time at sea, only hauling themselves onto land during breeding, moulting, and winter periods.

The southern elephant seals seen at a few beaches along the Western Cape coastline are known as vagrant species, coming here for three to five weeks at a time to rest and moult. This is a vulnerable time for the elephant seals as they completely shed their outermost layer of skin and fur.

“While it is unusual to see them on our shores, hauling out onto beaches to rest or moult is a natural behaviour and rarely a cause for concern. The presence of southern elephant seals on South African beaches offers valuable opportunities to learn more about these animals through tagging and re-sighting efforts, while also educating the public on respectfully co-existing with wildlife,” says Viljoen.

Important safety rules to follow around elephant seals:

• Respect their space: Always stay at least 20 metres away
• Respect cordoned-off areas by remaining behind any barriers set in place
• Do not pour water over the elephant seal as this causes unnecessary additional stress
• Minimise any noise and movement around the elephant seal
• Please keep all dogs on leashes to prevent any unexpected interactions between animals

If members of the public see anyone (or their dog) harassing, harming, or interfering with an elephant seal, please alert the City of Cape Town on 021 480 77 00 or 083 940 8143.