Caspian shores lined with dead seals in mass die off event

Dead seal / Photo: Shutterstock, photo editor: Dastan Shanay

A total of 112 dead seals were discovered along the Caspian Sea coast in the Tupkaragan district of the Mangystau region, local officials said. Residents of Bautino reported the carcasses, prompting environmental teams to respond immediately.

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Публикация от Маңғыстау Облысы Экология Департаменті (@mangystau_ecology_department)

On Nov. 3, 2025, specialists from the regional Department of Ecology collected seawater samples near Fort Shevchenko and Cape Bautino. Together with the fisheries inspectorate and the wildlife protection service, they inspected the coastline from the village of Asan to Cape Bautino.

The Caspian seal / Photo: Shutterstock, photo editor: Aruzhan Makhsotova

Earlier, environmental activist and Helloeco co-founder Dina Ogai raised concerns after discovering several dead Caspian seals during a coastal cleanup near Aktau. Ogai said she believes the animals were poisoned by oil waste.

The Caspian seal, the smallest seal species in the world, is listed as threatened on the Red List of Endangered Species.