Seals have died in mass numbers on the coast of the Caspian Sea in the Mangistau region, according to Azamat Sarsenbayev, a blogger from Aktau.
“In the area of Bautino, in Tupkaragan district, after recent storms, hundreds of red-listed seal carcasses were brought ashore; scientists have now counted 151 seal carcasses. According to scientists who are now studying seals in this area (who found the carcasses), some of the dead seals have mechanical injuries on their bodies,” he said.
The Akimat of Mangistau region noted that the dead seals were thrown ashore due to north-western and western winds, which caused them to be carried to the coast. The bodies of the animals are in a stage of significant decomposition. Local authorities said the carcasses will be sent for examination to determine the possible causes of the animals’ deaths.
Samples taken from the 151 seals have been sent to the Institute of Hydrobiology and Ecology, where specialists will conduct toxicological, histological, and virological analyses to determine the exact causes of death. According to the Akimat, the first 51 carcasses were found on October 24, and on October 25 and 26, another 100 bodies of dead seals were found on the same coast.
Mass deaths of seals have been repeatedly recorded on the Caspian Sea coast. In December 2022, more than 2,500 carcasses were found in Russia’s Dagestan. Studies have shown that the cause of death could be methane emissions, forming gassy areas of air above the water in doldrums, which causes suffocation in animals. In December 2023, similar incidents were recorded on the coast of Dagestan, where waves carried away about 130 seal carcasses, some of which may have been brought by currents from other regions of the Caspian Sea. Regular incidents, including the death of animals in fishing nets and water pollution, hurt the numbers of the Caspian seal, which is listed in the Red Book of endangered species.
