The Cape Cross seal colony is located north of Swakopmund . This is one of many seal colonies along the Namibian coast, but is the most popular with visitors, mainly because it is the easiest to get to.
The colony can contain thousands of seals at any one time, and like any large group of animals this attracts predators. Very young seals are particularly vulnerable as they do not have the ability to move to the water and swim to cool down and are thus vulnerable to heatstroke. Other young seals get trampled by larger adults, meaning there is a regular supply of dead seals which provide a good source of food for the Brown Hyena populations in the area and for Jackals. If no seal carcasses are available to scavenge then predators may occasionally attack and kill young seals.
Visitors to cape cross are restricted to remaining behind a low wall, but can get within a few feet of the seals. The wall is to stop tourists walking into the colony, which could cause the seals to panic and stampede. The first things visitors will notice at Cape Cross are the noise and the smell – thousands of seals in a small area can make a lot of noise as they call to each other, and the smell is quite noticeable but not overpowering.
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