In just two weeks, more than 530 dead seals washed up in the Caspian Sea in Kazakhstan. The Central Asian country’s fisheries commission said Thursday that 534 carcasses had been found on beaches since October 24.
The dead animals are critically endangered Caspian seals. Possible causes of death include water pollution and infectious diseases, it is said. Only a few seals became entangled in fishing nets.
Animals have been on the red list for years
The Caspian seal is the only seal species found in the Caspian Sea. The species has been on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species for years.
The seal population has declined sharply
According to the IUCN, the Caspian seal population declined by more than 70 percent in the 20th century, mainly due to poaching and water pollution. According to the Kazakh authorities, there has recently been an increase again to around 270,000 copies.
With approximately 370,000 square kilometers, the Caspian Sea is more than four times larger than Austria and the largest inland body of water in the world. It borders Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan and Iran.
The water level of the Inland Sea has fallen sharply recently due to rising temperatures caused by climate change – a further threat to nature.
Source: Krone
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