[NatureNS] Dead Seal

From: "David Webster" <dwebster@glinx.com>
To: <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
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Date: Tue, 14 Apr 2009 21:12:46 -0300
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Hi All,            Apr 14, 2009
    If most of these dead seals are beheaded, and I understand this to =
be the case, then one can confidently conclude that the mortality is =
from natural or accidental causes; i.e. ice or movement of a ship in ice =
as opposed to the swing of some man held cutting tool.

    Seals in water will either be submerged or with the head just above =
the surface. And when thinning ice is breaking up in a high wind one can =
expect collisions between pans. Seals must breath at intervals so they =
must take their chances, pop up between pans and if their timing is =
wrong; kachunk.

    On the other hand, the orientation of seals on ice will be much less =
regular (probably about 1/6 would be rotated such that a suitably =
positioned killer could lop off a head, assuming this could be done =
without a chopping block below it) and their lateral position relative =
to the killer would also not be regular (probably about 1/6 of those =
that had some body part within reach of a cutting tool and with suitable =
rotation would be positioned laterally such that the neck could be =
severed).

    So roughly 35 out of 36 seals would be oriented and positioned such =
that some body part other than the neck would be more readily struck. =
And consequently one would expect nearly all of the fatal wounds to be =
to the large, exposed and vulnerable areas; rib cage or body spine =
because, when the seal was within striking distance, one or both of =
these large targets would almost always be oriented such that it could =
be hit.

    These considerations are based on extensive inexperience with seals =
and sea ice.

Yt, Dave Webster, Kentville
  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: jen cooper=20
  To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca=20
  Sent: Tuesday, April 14, 2009 3:41 PM
  Subject: RE: [NatureNS] Dead Seal


  i have no offering of a method for the 'headlessness issue' but this =
is the 4th year (that i've been observing) in a row that headless seals =
wash up all around municipal cape breton. there seems to be 2 seal =
hunts, the one were all used to hearing about on the news each year and =
this second one where the pelts are not utilized and all seems to be for =
naught. literally hundreds of headless seals wash up on the shores of =
sydney harbour every year and it never seems to be investigated. i =
assume its fishermen but i'd love to know for sure.=20

  jen cooper

  > From: randy.lauff@gmail.com
  > Date: Mon, 13 Apr 2009 20:02:23 -0300
  > Subject: Re: [NatureNS] Dead Seal
  > To: naturens@chebucto.ns.ca
  >=20
  > And for those of you with stronger stomachs...
  >=20
  > I'm very curious about this headlessness issue. Is there any =
evidence
  > to the method of beheading? Cut, chopped, crushed and torn asunder?
  >=20
  > Randy
  >=20
  > 2009/4/13 Richard Stern <sternrichard@gmail.com>:
  > > There were at least 4 dead seals on Pond Cove Beach this w/e. All =
were
  > > young, and headless - similar to those described on the CBC news =
at
  > > Lawrencetown Beach this evening. They were providing a treat for =
the local
  > > Turkey Vultures. I have no idea what killed them., but perhaps =
it's a
  > > province-wide phenomenon.
  > >
  > > Richard
  > >
  > > On Mon, Apr 13, 2009 at 6:03 PM, Terri Crane =
<terri.crane@ns.sympatico.ca>
  > > wrote:
  > >>
  > >> This year the outer edge of the Ice flow was pushed out of the =
Gulf and
  > >> off Cape Breton earlier than usual and large volumes passed just =
off our
  > >> shores heading southwest.
  > >>
  > >> I'd say that the early and large out flows of ice are responsible =
for this
  > >> years further south than usual deposits of seal carcus'. I'm sure =
most of
  > >> us along the north eastern shore don't mind sharing this =
early-mid spring
  > >> abundance.
  > >>
  > >> In the next short while if you have a carcus on you beach don't =
let it get
  > >> above the tide line. You'll be sure to have you're own smelly, =
oil
  > >> producing, colony of decomposers that will last into mid summer =
(lots of
  > >> experence). Even though the water is cold it seem to excelerate =
the decomp
  > >> of the seals while keeping the smell in check (relatively =
speaking). An off
  > >> shore wind on a falling tide can make it go away.
  > >>
  > >> Tom K.
  > >> Canso
  >=20
  >=20
  > Randy
  > _________________________________
  > RF Lauff
  > Way in the boonies of
  > Antigonish County, NS.


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<DIV><FONT face=3DArial>Hi All,&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;=20
&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Apr 14, 2009</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; If most of these dead seals =
are=20
beheaded, and I understand this to be the case, then one can confidently =

conclude that the mortality is from natural or accidental&nbsp;causes; =
i.e. ice=20
or movement of a ship in ice&nbsp;as opposed to the swing of some