Since October 24, 2024, 1,034 dead seals have been found on the shores of the Caspian Sea in the Mangystau region

Axar.az reports that, citing Azertac, experts from Kazakhstan's Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries Committee suggest that natural phenomena, including gas emissions released into the atmosphere from underwater earthquakes, could be the cause.

Final conclusions on the cause of the seal deaths will be available after laboratory studies are completed, which, according to scientific organizations, will take 3-4 months.

Earlier reports noted the discovery of hundreds of dead animals during coastal monitoring.

Mass seal die-offs in the Caspian Sea have been recorded since the early 2000s. In 2000, nearly 10,000 dead seals were discovered, with chronic toxicosis identified as the cause of death.

The Caspian seal is endemic and the only mammal species in the Caspian Sea’s fauna. Its main diet is fish, and it is characterized by seasonal migration: in winter, it concentrates in the northern part of the sea, while with the onset of warmer temperatures, it migrates to the central and southern parts of the Caspian Sea.