Fears over rise in seal-worrying by pets, people and drones at Scottish beaches
● 20 incidents a day being seen at protected seal site
A rise in the number of sealworrying incidents taking place at Scottish beaches is raising serious concerns.
Conservationists and government nature experts are becoming increasingly worried about the regularity of mass stampedes of seals, sparked by sightseers, dogs and drones getting too close to the protected mammals
They fear such disturbances could pose a grave threat to important colonies of seals around Scotland.
As many as 20 episodes a day have been recorded on busy weekends at a popular Aberdeenshire beach designated as a haven for grey seals.
Part of the River Ythan, in Forvie national nature reserve, is a protected “haulout” site for grey seals to rest and breed.
In Scotland it is an offence to intentionally or recklessly harass seals in such areas and signs have been erected at Forvie to warn people.
Observing from the south side of the estuary at Newburgh beach is permitted, but problems arise if visitors – or dogs – venture on to the same side of the shore as the seals.
The issue is discussed in the
latest episode of BBC show Landward.
Lee Watson, founder of the Ythan Seal Watch group, said: “Before we started raising awareness through the Seal Watch page, we were filming anything from ten to 20 disturbances a day at the weekend.
“As soon as dogs are there the seals become agitated and then that’s the start of the stamthey
pede.” He said disturbance can cause serious problems for seals, especially during important times in their life cycle.
“Seals are warm blooded mammals so they can spend two or three days out on a beach and then when they’re disturbed into the cold water they can suffer shock,” he said.
“It can also delay the moulting process. So it means they
can take longer to moult and can become overburdened with already existing parasites, they can become ill and they need to be picked up and rescued.”
If watching seals, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) advises people to give them space and retreat if there are any signs of distress such as animals moving towards the sea. are also warned not to encircle seals, get between them and the water or separate pups from their mothers.
Gavin Clark, SNH operations manager for Tayside and Grampian, said: “We want to welcome visitors to Forvie and help them to enjoy the nature reserve and the wildlife that is protected here, but seals need time to rest in order to conserve energy. Disturbance will result in increased stress and a stampede could cause injury.
“If you’re visiting Forvie and come across the seals on the beach, our advice is to heed the signs and stay well back.
“When watching seals on the beach, be quiet, avoid sudden movements and be responsive to their behaviour. If a few seals raise their heads, then it’s a sign you are too close and they are becoming nervous.”
He warned that incidents of harassment at a designated seal haul-out could be a wildlife crime and should be reported to the police.
To date nobody has been prosecuted for disturbing seals at Newburgh since the area became a protected site in 2017, despite a number of recorded incidents.
Last August dog walkers caused an estimated 1,000 seals to flee into the water and remain away from their haul-out spot for a considerable length of time. Police were called but decided no crime had been committed.
“Disturbance will result in increased stress and a stampede could cause injury” GAVIN CLARK Scottish Natural Heritage