Grey seal pup born on Beaulieu River, first in Hampshire
A grey seal pup, which was recently born on the Beaulieu River, is believed to be the first of its kind in Hampshire waters. Conservationists have been keeping a watchful eye and the Buckler’s Hard Yacht Harbour team has been guarding the pup from disturbance by river users. Other organisations such as Natural England, the Seal Alliance, British Divers Marine Life Rescue and Wild New Forest Guided Tours have rallied round to help protect the pup.
Harbour Master Wendy Stowe said: ‘This is extremely exciting news, as grey seals don’t usually breed in these waters and we believe it is the first pup to survive here. We would like to thank all of our river users for acting responsibly and helping us to keep the seal pup safe and undisturbed.’
The pup is now a month old. Seal pups grow at a very quick rate on a diet of high fat and protein milk from their mothers, tripling their body weight from 10 to 40kg in their first three weeks. Their initial white fur is replaced by a shorter patterned coat.
Grey seals are a native wildlife species which has colonised the Beaulieu River – a Special Area of Conservation and a Site of Special Scientific Interest – but only started to breed recently.
Over a third of the world’s grey seals live in UK waters, with 88% of those in Scotland.