Officials in southern Russia stated on Sunday that they discovered the bodies of over 1,700 seals on the coast of the Caspian Sea.
The officials in the Russian region of Dagestan have stated that it is still unknown what caused the deaths of the animals, but that it is likely that the animals perished due to natural causes.
Zaur Gapizov, head of the Caspian Environmental Protection Center, said on Sunday, according to the state news agency RIA Novosti, that after a more comprehensive inspection of the coast, the number of dead animals was determined to be 1,700. Regional officials initially stated on Saturday that 700 dead seals were discovered on the coast.
Capitol stated that it was likely a couple of weeks ago that the seals passed away. He also stated that there was no evidence to suggest that the animals had been killed by poachers.
1,700 dead seals found on Russia's Caspian coast https://t.co/Cs4ly6T9hZ pic.twitter.com/4aiwYqBBee
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The shoreline was surveyed by professionals from the Federal Fisheries Agency and prosecutors, and data was collected for laboratory investigation. However, the inspection did not immediately uncover any signs of pollution.
In the past, it has been determined that natural causes were to blame for the mortality of large numbers of seals.
There is a great deal of inconsistency in the data regarding the total number of seals in the Caspian. According to the fisheries agency, the total number of Caspian seals ranges from 270,000 to 300,000, but Gapizov’s center estimates that there are only 70,000 of them.
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