A campaign has been launched by the Seal Alliance and government to help protect seals from human disturbance ahead of Easter weekend.
The Seal Alliance has launched a new government-backed campaign to ‘Give Seals Space’ and reduce the shocking impact that human disturbance can have on these vulnerable marine mammals.
As the public go out for walks over the Easter weekend, the Seal Alliance warns that getting too close to seals can lead to their injury and death, even up to several months later.
The UK is home to 38% of the entire world’s population of grey seals and 30% of the European subspecies of common seals, yet these precious mammals face an extensive list of threats including climate change, toxic pollution, entanglement, collisions with vessels, plastics and other marine debris. Of these threats, disturbance from human interaction is a significant and growing problem.
Seals are vulnerable to any kind of human interactions, either deliberate or unintentional. The ‘Give Seals Space’ signs and leaflets will raise awareness of the simple steps the public can take to protect these precious creatures. It features four easy-to-remember steps:
Young seals are most affected by disturbance and only 25% are likely to survive to the age of 18 months in a bad year. If people are being noisy or startle the vulnerable animals by getting too close, this wastes their energy, meaning young pups struggle to haul out of the water to rest and digest their food.
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Posted On: 02/04/2021