Global site navigation

More than 130 seals found dead on Caspian beaches
World

More than 130 seals found dead on Caspian beaches

by  AFP 1 min read
A dead Caspian seal on a Russian beach in 2020. The seal population of the Caspian Sea has for decades suffered from over-hunting and the effects of industrial pollution
A dead Caspian seal on a Russian beach in 2020. The seal population of the Caspian Sea has for decades suffered from over-hunting and the effects of industrial pollution. Photo: Handout / North Caucasian branch of Russia's fisheries agency/AFP
Source: AFP

PAY ATTENTION: Сheck out news that is picked exactly for YOU ➡️ find “Recommended for you” block on the home page and enjoy!

More than 130 endangered seals have been found dead on Kazakh beaches of the Caspian Sea, officials said Wednesday.

"Carcasses of dead seals have been found," a spokesman for Kazakhstan's ecology ministry told AFP.

His ministry said 131 seals had been found dead on Caspian Sea beaches in the country's west.

Autopsies will be carried out and Kazakh environmental experts said soil and water samples from the area would be analysed.

The Caspian seal, the only such species present in the Caspian Sea, the world's largest inland body of water, was placed by the Kazakh government in November 2020 on the list of endangered species threatened with extinction.

The Caspian Sea, the world's largest inland body of water, is bounded by five countries: Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkmenistan.

Read also

Madrid denies migrants died on Spanish side of border

PAY ATTENTION: Enjoy reading our stories? Join YEN.com.gh's Telegram channel for more!

The seal population of the Caspian Sea has for decades suffered from over-hunting and the effects of industrial pollution.

Experts say there are now about 68,000 Caspian seals, down from more than one million in the early 20th century.

Source: AFP

Authors:
AFP avatar

AFP AFP text, photo, graphic, audio or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium. AFP news material may not be stored in whole or in part in a computer or otherwise except for personal and non-commercial use. AFP will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions in any AFP news material or in transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages whatsoever. As a newswire service, AFP does not obtain releases from subjects, individuals, groups or entities contained in its photographs, videos, graphics or quoted in its texts. Further, no clearance is obtained from the owners of any trademarks or copyrighted materials whose marks and materials are included in AFP material. Therefore you will be solely responsible for obtaining any and all necessary releases from whatever individuals and/or entities necessary for any uses of AFP material.

Hot: