Seal pups die as beach visitors spook mothers

ENVIRONMENTAL groups have appealed to seaside visitors not to try to take selfies with baby seals after four abandoned pups starved to death because their mothers were scared away.

The deaths on the sand dunes at Winterton-on-sea in Norfolk has led the chairman of a seal protection group to warn people that they should never get too close to seals and their pups.

The bodies were found together in a clutch, probably because their mothers

‘These are wild animals in their natural habitat and must be left alone’

were spooked by visitors to the beach and then abandoned the helpless pups.

Peter Ansell, chairman of the Friends of Horsey Seals, said: “The young pups had not fully weaned so it suggests someone or something had scared their mothers off. It is very rare to see four dead pups in a huddle.

“We don’t know whether it was intentional or could have been someone walking their dogs on the dunes. But we ask people to step back and think – these are wild animals in their own natural habitat and they must be left alone.” He added: “It is probable the mums were scared off by people getting too close, so they left the pups to fend for themselves which at their age, because they are still weaning and rely on their mothers’ milk, they cannot do.

“At Winterton it is almost impossible to keep the public completely away without closing the beach, but it is so important not to get too close to them.”

In a recent incident a father was seen trying to put his young child on the back of a seal pup in order to take a photograph.

Mr Ansell added: “We need more volunteers to explain to the public what can happen if seals are disturbed. There are certain ways of telling that you are too close. Our advice is that if the mother starts to move in between you and her pups then you should always back off. If you continue and the mother retreats, they will probably never return.”

Prof Ailsa Hall, a sea mammal researcher at the University of St Andrews in Fife, said: “The mothers only suckle their young for about three weeks and they are very sensitive to interference.”