The things that turn up on Kidwelly Marshes, not what you’d expect Sea Bear or maybe Sea Lion? It would be nice to know what happened to the pelt?
The Welshman 14th December 1945
SEA BEAR ON CEFN SIDAN
THRILL FOR KIDWELLY SPORTSMEN
Two Kidweily sportsmen,indulging
in duck-shooting, had the unusual experience of killing a sea bear on the marshes between Kidwelly and Cern Sidan. The sportsmen were Mr.Thomas Gravell, Cottage Farm, Trimsara rd. Kidwelly, and his son-in-law, Mr. Louis Thomas, Glanyrafon,Tycoch, Kidwelly.
It appears that both were well apart on the marshes, searching wild
ducks, when Mr. Gravell called to Mr.
Thomas and said that he had seen a
“strange and fierce creature” in one of the deep ditches just ahead. Mr. Gravell told his companion to investigate, and Mr. Thomas. carefully went ahead and later saw what he thought to be a dead sheep at the side of the ditch.
ROARED LOUDLY
Marsh Bear 1945
On seeing Mr. Thomas, however, the animal turned quickly round and made a leap into the air, roaring loudly. It then made for Mr. Thomas, who, with
his gun, kept calm, trying to think of destroying the animal without shoot-
ing it, owing to its lovely fur.
However, when the creature was about 30 yards from his companion, Mr. Graveil told him to step aside and promptly shot the animal.
It weighed well over two cwts., and was strongly built.
On its front limbs it had formidable long claws, while its teeth also were sharp
and dangerous. being The skin is at present being ” cured” at Glanyrafon, and there is no doubt this beautiful
brownish fur is of great value.
VALUABLE SKIN
How this animal ever got to the
marshes is a mystery. The sea bear
resembles the true seal in habits and general appearance, Its limbs are
longer and of more practical use on land, and for a distance of 100 feet it can run faster than a man can walk.
The young sea bears at first, possess a jet black coat, which later changes into a soft brownish fur, which makes their skins so much prized for women’s
wraps and coats. There are.two
groups the one species which formerly inhabited the Southern Hemisphere
off the Pacific Coast; islands of South the America and waters of Australia and
New Zealand and South Africa, but which have practically all been
killed off, and the other, which is confined to the waters of North Pacific.
SEA LION?
The Century Dictionary describes a sea bear as (1) the white or Polar bear;
and the fur seal of the North
Pacific, which provides the seal skin of commerce.
A Welsh auhority on zoology said that probably the creature is a sea lion, which has two hind legs in addition to its fins or flappers, and can move over land rather more rapidly than a man can walk!