Virus kills over 600 seals in Sweden, Denmark
Date: 21-Jun-02
Country: SWEDEN
Martin Larsvik from the Tjarno marine biology laboratory told the TT news agency some 150 seals have been washed up on Sweden's west cost, with the rest found in Denmark. He said it was difficult to say if the numbers killed in the outbreak were still rising because of delayed reporting of the deaths.
The seal population in waters around the Danish and Swedish coasts totals about 15,000 animals, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature environment protection organisation.
In 1988, another seal plague - caused by a virus which erodes seals' immune systems and leads to pneumonia - wiped out more than half of the seal population in Western Europe.
Marine biologists say the disease is highly lethal and the seals that contract it suffer a painful death. The 1988 seal plague led to a surge in support for Sweden's Green Party.
Riding on a wave of sympathy sparked by extensive TV coverage of dying seals, the Green Party came out of nowhere to win 5.5 percent of the vote and 20 seats in parliament in Sweden's autumn 1988 elections.
Political analysts say the new seal plague outbreak could help the party stay above four percent in Sweden's September 15 election, the threshold for representation in parliament. The party is currently at that level in the polls.