Beware the killer seals!
Swimmers are warned after savage attacks on UK porpoises
THEY are one of nature’s most charismatic creatures with a reputation for being playful and friendly.
But some of Britain’s grey seals have turned into crazed killers.
They have been filmed hunting down, attacking and eating porpoises.
And with adult porpoises similar in size and weight to grown men, it raises concerns that swimmers could be next.
Grey seals are known to have been responsible for at least four attacks. Both adult and juvenile harbour porpoises have been chased, caught and eaten – behaviour not seen before in grey seals off the UK coast.
Tom Stringell, a senior marine mammal ecologist for the Welsh nature conservation agency, said that while people shouldn’t panic, they should keep their distance from seals on land and in the water.
Video footage of one attack shows a male seal contentedly ripping chunks of blubber off his prey as the water around turns bloody.
Dafydd Rees, who made the recording off the coast of Pembrokeshire during one of his regular boat trips for a wildlife cruise company, said: ‘I have never seen anything like it before. It was really surprising to see.’
Grey seals normally feed on fish no bigger than salmon but have recently been blamed for attacks on porpoises off the coast of Belgium, France and the Netherlands. Dutch research concluded that hun- dreds of dead cetaceans bore the tell-tale marks of a seal attack.
The Utrecht University study found that the seals had a particular penchant for young porpoises with a thick layer of energy-packed fat.
They said the seals may have developed a taste for porpoises after sampling some caught in fishing nets. And with many of the mutilated carcasses having been washing up on beaches popular with swimmers, they warned humans could be next.
‘People should be aware that the largest predator in our countries is the grey seal. They are related to bears and have the teeth to go with that lineage,’ the researchers said. ‘In the water, they are much more able than the most agile human swimmers and have made the switch from eating fish to hunting porpoises, another mammal.
‘To date, there have been no reports of serious attacks or wounds inflicted, but some people have been bitten by inquisitive or provoked seals. The advice would thus be to be aware that seals are not out there to cuddle, and to keep some distance.’
Dr Stringell said he was sur- prised to discover that attacks on porpoises were happening in British waters.
It is not known whether there is one rogue seal in the seas surrounding the Ramsey Island nature reserve, or several. In some cases, porpoises were clearly pursued before being eaten. Dr Stringell said: ‘It was definitely predation, rather than scavenging.’
He said that with seals being protected by law, growing numbers may mean there is increasing competition for food. Alternatively, the attacks may be ‘opportunistic hunting’ – with porpoises simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.
‘Adult grey seals have also been known to attack, kill and eat juvenile grey seals, so this type of activity isn’t totally surprising and is likely part of the natural cycle of life,’ he said.
‘Seals are unlikely to pose any direct danger to people.
‘However, they are wild animals that possess sharp teeth and are a protected species, so they should not be approached on land or in the water, particularly during the autumn pupping season.’
This is not the first time the cuddly image of the seal has been tarnished. In November, it emerged that Antarctic fur seals had been raping king penguins. One penguin was then killed and eaten.
‘They are related to bears’