Actress Mauled by Seal While Swimming

By Allison Schonter

Raised By Wolves actor Loulou Taylor is recovering after she was rushed to the hospital for injuries sustained in a seal attack. Taylor, who portrays Cassia in the HBO Max series, jokingly compared the incident to a scene from Jaws, but with a seal, as she opened up about being attacked by a seal while swimming in the ocean off Clifton Beach in Cape Town, South Africa.

Video of the attack, which occurred on Wednesday, Jan. 4, obtained by The Citizen showed the marine mammal attack a boy playing in the shallows. The boy managed to free himself, and a lifeguard on the beach could be heard blowing his whistle and instructing swimmers to get out of the water. In the footage, the seal could be seen swimming toward Taylor and attacking her. Another beachgoer came to her aid, grabbing the seal by its flippers and tossing it away from the beach.

Taylor was bitten six times in the attack, she revealed on her Instagram Story. Following the incident, she went to the emergency room where she received "strong antibiotics" and was left sporting some hefty bandages on her fingers. Recounting the ordeal, the actress warned, "Be careful swimming at Clifton! I was attacked by a seal in the water and bitten 6 times, requiring an ER visit and strong antibiotics. They have big teeth. Thank you those who helped me in and out of the water." Taylor provided another update later that day, confirming that she was "on the mend." She also offered some insight into what may have prompted the attack.

"Recent surge in seal attacks is linked to an algae bloom that releases a neurotoxin which triggers aggressive behaviour," she shared. "What might cause the algae blooms? More than likely global warming/water pollution."

Brett Glasby, program coordinator at the Two Oceans Aquarium Education Foundation, seemed to agree. Addressing the attack, he told local newspaper the Daily Maverick that there has been an increase in seal attacks since December, noting, "it's not aggressive behavior, it's defensive behavior. Last year, we had a mass die-off on our coastlines that was attributed to domoic acid poisoning from red tide algae bloom." According to Glasby, "the seals consume fish and crustaceans that have algae bloom domoic poisoning," he said. "One of the symptoms is a swelling of the brain."

Taylor, who posted a hilarious re-do of the iconic Jaws poster with the great white swapped with a seal, is a South African-born and LA-raised actress best known for her role in HBO Max's Raised by Wolves. Created by Aaron Guzikowski, with Blade Runner's Ridley Scott acting as Executive Producer, the series ran for two seasons before being canceled. Her other credits include Detour and Farah Goes Bang.

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