August 10th 2024.
In the late 1980s, a baffling disease swept through the United Kingdom, nearly wiping out the entire seal population. Scientists were perplexed by the sudden outbreak and struggled to identify the cause. It all started on the small island of Anholt in the Baltic Sea in April 1988. From there, the disease quickly spread to the Wadden Sea in Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands, where it claimed the lives of 10,000 seals.
As the months went by, the disease continued to spread, reaching the coast of Norfolk in August. By then, it had already killed 6,000 seals. The scientific community was at a loss, trying to determine if this was the same disease affecting seals in both the Baltic and North Sea regions. In response to the alarming situation, Greenpeace held an emergency conference in London to discuss possible solutions.
The outbreak was particularly devastating because many of the seals were located off the Norfolk coast in the North Sea. There were legitimate fears that the entire seal population would be decimated. The loss of 20% of the seals in the Baltic and North Sea regions left many pups vulnerable to predators, resulting in even more deaths.
After the conference, scientists were finally able to identify two viruses responsible for the disease - one was a herpes virus and the other was similar to the polio virus that affects humans. In 1989, the disease was officially named phocine distemper virus. However, the mystery surrounding the disease persisted for several more months.
Even before this deadly outbreak, experts had predicted that harbor seals were the most vulnerable to such a disease. Sadly, their predictions were proven right. The chemical pollution in the Baltic Sea had already caused 80% of female seals to become sterile. Additionally, seal hunts had drastically reduced the population in the North Sea.
Finally, in 1990, an agreement was reached among countries like Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands to protect seals in the Wadden Sea. However, just when it seemed like the situation was under control, the disease reemerged in May 2002 with even greater intensity. In order to save as many seals as possible, healthy ones from Hunstanton Sea Life Sanctuary were relocated to Scarborough Marine Sanctuary.
Despite these efforts, the disease continued to spread, resulting in a total of 18,300 dead seals before it finally stopped. The entire ordeal was a heartbreaking reminder of the fragility of our marine ecosystems and the impact of human actions on these animals.
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