The Beach Ward – or, the Importance of Giving Grey Seals Their Peace in Pupping Season
For this post, I'd like to talk about recent – and troubling – trends around pupping season for grey seals. For those unfamiliar, 'pupping season' refers to the period of time in which pregnant grey seals swim to shore and give birth to new 'pups' (baby seals) before supervising their survival over a short period (up to twenty-one days); after which, the pup is weaned and left to fend for itself.
Please be our Voice!
My goodness, our world is changing at an alarming rate.
We are all facing challenges which affect our daily lives but fortunately, we do have a voice and the ability to express our concerns. Nature is no different, but unfortunately it does not have the ability to speak out and express itself.
This week is National Seal Week and it’s our opportunity to give our seals a voice and celebrate these iconic creatures that visit our shores.
There is nothing so pleasing, so cathartic and actually quite emotional at times when watching wildlife displaying their natural behaviour.
Communities Are Doin' It For Themselves!
The main attraction at a northern seal haul out was causing a mass disturbance. Fortunately, local conservationists worked to create an alternative and better visitor experience that could offer the opportunity for wildlife to thrive?
Give Seals Space!
The UK is home to 38% of the entire world’s population of grey seals and 30% of the European subspecies of common seals. These precious mammals face an extensive list of threats including climate change, toxic pollution, overfishing, entanglement, boat strike, plastics and other marine pollution. Of these issues, disturbance from human interaction is a significant and growing problem, but equally the easiest to solve. We can all take action today, by just giving seals space!
My Ray of Light
I had this strange feeling of being watched and looked to my right. My feelings were correct, as just below me was this little seal treading water looking directly up at me.