By JONATHON HOWARD
IT WAS a sad ending for a leopard seal that was found beached on Fraser Island by a Noosa tour group last Wednesday.
The tour company, Fraser Island Adventure Tours, had found the leopard seal alive but carrying a nasty tail injury.
Sadly the leopard seal was considered unable to be recover and was subsequently put down (euthanised via injection) on the beach.
News that the leopard seal had been euthanised prompted inquiries from several tourists as well as the tour operator.
Sea World veterinarian David Blyde spoke with Noosa Today and said the Sea World team arrived on Wednesday morning to find the leopard seal in a “very poor condition”.
“The animal had multiple shark bite wounds with one causing a severe spinal injury, he said.
“Due to the severity of the injuries and the poor condition of the seal, a decision was made by Queensland Parks and Wildlife and Sea World that the most humane action was to euthanise the animal.
“The animal was sedated and humanely euthanised. Sea World is saddened by this outcome and is appreciative of the efforts of all agencies involved.”
Dr Blyde said the northern east coast was an unusual migratory path for a leopard seal, which are normally found in the cooler waters of the Antarctic.
“There have been similar sightings of these animals travelling north, but at this stage it is not clear as to why they are venturing outside their normal migratory paths,” he said.
Dr Blyde said leopard seals were strong and capable predators that were not accustomed to coming across humans in their daily interactions.
“We would encourage anyone who comes across any stranded animal, for their own safety as well as the safety of the animal, to keep their distance and to alert the appropriate authorities,” he said.
