By IANS
Lima : Some 60 percent of the resting grounds used by seals in Peru’s Paracas National Park was wiped out by the earthquake, which devastated Ica province of this South American nation earlier this month, the Spanish news agency EFE reported.
An evaluation of the coastal park determined that only 50 of the 150 seals living at the park before the temblor remained at Paracas, said Luis Alfaro, a Natural Resources Institute (Inrena) superintendent.
The seals that live in Paracas Bay, especially in the Ballestas Islands, were one of the big draws for tourists, who travel to this stretch of the Peruvian coastline to view its natural beauty and wildlife, which also includes Humboldt penguins and other birds.
Alfaro said seal carcasses had not been found in the park, indicating that the animals may have migrated to other areas in the wake of the earthquake that shattered the nearby cities of Pisco, Chincha and Ica.
Paracas was hit by a tidal wave following the magnitude-7.9 earthquake, which destroyed some of the distinctive rock formations along the coast and washed away tourism facilities.
The homes of people living near the park were flooded, forcing residents to move to higher ground.
Peruvian officials said the Aug 15 earthquake killed 519 people, injured 1,090 others and forced more than 40,000 families from their homes in five provinces, including the mountains near Peruvian capital Lima.