Death of Sylvestrine, dean of the seals of the Biarritz aquarium

The aquarium of Biarritz (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) announced this Friday on Facebook the death of Sylvestrine, a 27-year-old female seal.

The animal, the oldest representative of its species in the establishment, died of old age.

This was confirmed by an autopsy, indicated

.

With the male Charlie, Sylvestrine had three baby seals born between 2008 and 2012.

The publication on the social network recalls that the deceased seal had been a resident of the aquarium since 1995. The animal was named after New Year's Eve, the date on which it was stranded.

Sylvestrine was then a month and a half old.

Distant babies

The female was described by aquarium officials as "shy" and accustomed to "stepping back".

Sylvestrine's young were all sent to other aquariums to avoid inbreeding.

The youngest, Noëlla, left for Santander (Spain) in 2019. There are now two seals left at the Biarritz aquarium, including Charlie.

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