A headless seal carcass on the Oamaru breakwater is probably just decomposing and not a case of foul play, the Department of Conservation (Doc) says.
A reader contacted the ODT about the seal concerned it may have been attacked, but Doc Oamaru community ranger Andy Powazynski said he was ``reliably informed'' the carcass had been on the breakwater for ``some weeks''.
While it was understandable for passersby to believe ``something untoward has happened'' it was a regular, natural occurrence.
Doc marine mammal experts in Dunedin had said soft tissue ``goes first'' as a part of the natural process of decomposition.
Waves breaking over the breakwater probably washed the decomposing head away.
Doc would leave the animal's carcass in place and this week's rain and storms would wash the rest away, Mr Powazynski said.
