The aardvark that washed up on a Cape Town a few days ago suffered heart failure.
The Cape of Good Hope SPCA said the adult female also had fluid on the lungs.
The SPCA said the animal that washed up on the shores of Sunset Beach in Milnerton showed no signs of external trauma.
The association said the fact that the aardvark also had some fluid on the lungs would indicate shock lung; which is a state most often caused by suffocation.
The SPCA said aardvarks were a seldom-seen animal in the Western Cape, and although there is a small population living on the city’s outskirts, one would be lucky to see them as they are mostly shy, nocturnal animals.
An independent wildlife veterinarian was able to rule out drowning as the likely cause of death. The aardvark, an adult female, was in otherwise good condition, with no signs of external trauma that might have indicated how she came to be floating in the sea.
"The conclusion is that the aardvark was already dead by the time it went into the water, either having been dumped overboard a ship close to shore or was somehow put into the sea from land,“ the SPCA said.
The Cape of Good Hope SPCA will continue to investigate the mysterious event and will be looking at camera footage and taking into account reports received from several eye-witnesses to help solve this latest wildlife mystery.
If you have any information on this case to add, please contact the Cape of Good Hope SPCA on 0217004140 or email wildlife1@spca-ct.co.za
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