24/10/2024
There is a lot of seal activity in the rocks at the moment, hope the storms keep away until they the babies are stronger 🤗
‼️IMPORTANT SEAL INFORMATION‼️
Grey seal pupping season is currently underway and the recent storms have brought a large number of calls to our seal team.
Grey seals are born with a white fluffy coat (lanugo) which helps to keep them warm this will moult out when the seal is about 3 weeks old. Before their fluffy coat has moulted they will usually avoid going into the water. Baby seals spending time on land at this stage is expected and not something of concern.
🔴Please do not attempt to put a seal back into the water🔴
Mum will often leave pups on the shore to hunt and may not return if there are lots of people around her pup. Please provide pups with as much space as possible and do not approach the seals. Where possible please provide a distance of at least 100 metres.
🔴If you come across a seal please retreat to a reasonable distance🔴
Please keep dogs on a lead when walking on beaches. Dogs will approach seals often before their owners know they are there. Grey seals in particular are capable of inflicting nasty bites and could injure dogs.
As per the Marine Stranding Protocol set out by DAERA Exploris can only intervene with a seal pup that is injured or has been abandoned as a result of human disturbance. This means that if no injury is visible, the pup will be placed on a watch list and its condition will be reviewed regularly to see if it is still being fed by its mother.
Exploris is not equipped to deal with seals that have passed away or cetacean strandings. Please report these to the DAERA through the email: [email protected]
