PADDLEBOARDERS who encircled seals at Looe Island and scared the animals by getting way too close have left volunteers in the town feeling “shocked and dismayed”.
The Cornwall Seal Group Research Trust (CSGRT) was doing one of its regular surveys when it witnessed seals being harassed near the haul-out spot on the rocks.
Martin Gregory is a volunteer with the group, as well as being mayor of Looe. He said: “A series of water users including paddle boarders, kayakers and even a yacht approached the seals, causing substantial disturbance and distress, as well as forcing the seals into the water.
“In total seals were recorded moving from the land into the sea 28 times in two and a half hours. As there were only 10 different seals recorded this suggested every seal was seriously disturbed around three times.
“I was so appalled and dismayed by the behaviour of some of these water users. Even if you do not know much about seals, it is common sense not to disturb wild animals. Seals are amazing creatures and it is great to see them in their natural habitat, but they must be observed from a considerable distance to prevent us having a negative impact on them.
“If a seal looks towards you then you are too close. In particular one group of paddle boarders were not happy until they had caused all nine seals that were hauled out on the rocks to go into the sea and the one remaining seal that did not move they completely surrounded, which must have terrified it. It is important to remember that wild creatures cannot afford to show they are scared as this will likely be a sign of weakness. Despite appearances, this seal’s stress hormones will have been flooding through his body. It is akin to you being woken up suddenly by a stranger coming into your bedroom. Imagine then trying to sleep surround by strangers and being woken up every few minutes during the night by new uninvited and unexpected visitors.”
One of seals disturbed, known as Lucille, is a regular visitor to the bay, and is currently heavily pregnant, said Sue Sayer from CSGRT.
Seals are vulnerable because they need to haul out on land for vital rest and to breed, says Sue. Disturbance by humans can make seals go back into the water too soon, reducing their oxygen supply, heat and energy. This can lead to a compromised ability to breed and even to a lower life expectancy – and there’s also the danger that a seal will inure itself on the rocks as it attempts to get into the water at a state of lower tide.
CSGRT is now calling for seals to be afforded the same protection as whales and dolphins.
The Trust is encouraging people to sign a parliamentary petition (at https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/584224).
You can also writing to your MP asking them to sign an Early Day Motion https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/58665/protection-of-seals
And there’s a template letter for this, says Martin, here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1uP6y1_HNtrnEVGSrj_7LRrykdu1wKyna
Above all, it wants people in the water to be aware.
“Please give seals space,” says Martin.
“If they look up at you, you are too close!”