The Seal Research Trust is supporting efforts to make the deliberate disturbance of resting seals a criminal offense. The charity highlighted the "hidden cost" of such interruptions, stating that seals, like humans, require undisturbed rest to recover. Frequent disturbances can lead to panic, causing seals to stampede across beaches or enter the water prematurely, risking injury.
According to the Trust, these interruptions can also negatively impact seals' immune systems, hormone levels, and their capacity to recuperate between feeding expeditions. Sue Sayers of the Seal Research Trust expressed particular concern about the current year's seal pup season, describing it as one of the worst on record, with over half of the recorded pups found dead or dying.
Sayers noted that until this year, the trust had never recorded seal pups being born in every month of a calendar year. This shift in breeding patterns is believed by the Trust to be influenced by climate change. Previous incidents of harm to seals, such as those caused by fishing nets or plastic pollution, have also been documented by researchers.
