This morning, the SRRC received a report from the police in Friesland. The Start Island pavilion manager in the Sneek Lake reported that tourists had seen a dead seal floating near Start Island. A couple of SRRC workers immediately went to the spot. Unfortunately, they had to confirm that it was indeed the runaway seal, Seppe.
Photo: jmbfoto.nl
Seppe was identified by the tag-with-number on his back flipper. After he was taken out of the water, there were no visible exterior indications for the cause of death. Other details are not yet clear. Seppe has probably been dead for a while; only a pathologist will be able to tell us how long exactly. The animal was quickly transported to Pieterburen, where specialists will carry out an autopsy as soon as possible.
The SRRC workers are crushed. Over the past weeks they have reacted to every sighting. Time and time again, they tried to catch the seal that was swimming around in what was for him an unnatural environment. But Seppe would never let himself be caught. For a while it looked as if Seppe had found his way to the Wadden Sea via the IJssel Lake, but then a sighting in Heegermeer shattered those hopes.04-17-2009 Source: SRRC Lenie 't Hart
