From March 31 through April 18, a total of 530 dead seals have been found washed up along the seashore between two major oil fields in western Kazakhstan, with 461 of them being baby seals. Officials in Kazakhstan cited weather conditions as a possible reason.
"Until February 20, most of the northeastern Caspian did not freeze..., and on February 21-22 the northern Caspian had a covering of thin ice, ...which melted by March 20, ... and it could have had a negative affect on the baby seals," the Ministry of Environmental Protection said in a news release.
As for pollution, the ministry said examination of the seal's bodies had not revealed any heavy metals or pesticides. "Seawater tests carried out in the area did not reveal any oil products," the news release said.
Environmental Protection Minister Nurlan Iskakov said if oil companies were found guilty, they would be brought to justice. "There are quite a few dangers in the area: blowing wells, tectonic fractures with the risks of gas discharges and exploration drilling," the minister said, adding that the investigation was continuing.
Kalamkas and Karazhanbas are the largest oil fields in western Kazakhstan, where intensive production has been underway for more than 25 years. In 2000, some 10,500 seals died allegedly of chronic intoxication on the Caspian Sea shore in western Kazakhstan. For several years the animals had been absorbing oil toxins and pesticides, which damaged their immune resistance.
