Photographers Alex and Juanita visited Milnerton Beach near Cape Town, South Africa. While walking along the shore, they saw an extraordinary sight. They found the body of one of the creatures called Ad Wak, which is found only in Africa, lying on the shore. An adwak is a mammal with a pig-like face, rabbit ears, and a kangaroo-like tail. When fully grown, they are about the size of a dog.
Only found south of the Sahara desert, the adwak is rare to find on Cape Town’s beaches. Alex and Juanita stated that they first thought it was a seal when they saw the carcass washed ashore. When we got closer and examined it in detail, we realized that it was Advak’s body. The body was not decomposed or damaged. So it is concluded that the creature was dead only a few hours. As soon as they found the body, they moved it to the shore with the help of some others who were nearby.
The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds was then informed. Officials of the organization immediately reached the spot and took possession of the body. The next day it was handed over to the Wildlife Service for further testing. How one of the advacs, which feeds on ants and termites, washed up on the seashore is puzzling researchers.
Advak, a female, washed ashore. An examination of its body revealed that it did not die due to drowning. The cause of death was cardiac arrest due to suffocation after being locked in a box or somewhere with poor ventilation. Hence, the findings point to the fact that Advak may have lost its life while being captured and illegally trafficked.
Officials concluded that the dead creature may have been dumped at sea during illegal smuggling. CCTV footage and eyewitness statements are being collected to get more clarity on the matter. Adwords are in high demand in the black market as they are a rare species. They are illegally trafficked to harvest their meat to make traditional medicines.
It’s rare to find ad words that don’t see much daylight. They have the ability to burrow and catch their prey faster than machines. Although unrelated to any other animal species, ad wolverine is not listed as an endangered species to date. According to the researchers, there is no significant decrease in their number, which may be due to their ability to hide without being seen by humans.
English Summary: Aardvark that washed up on Cape Town beach was likely victim of illegal trade
