A charity is advocating for stronger legal protection for seals, stating that human disturbance negatively impacts their health and welfare. The Seal Research Trust, based in Cornwall, has backed calls from the UK Seal Alliance to classify the deliberate disturbance of seals as an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act.
Sue Sayers, founder of the trust, said that seals resting on beaches are frequently disturbed by people, leading to stress, injury, and sleep deprivation. She added that disturbed seals can panic, stampede, or throw themselves into the sea, risking serious injury. The charity also noted that frequent interruptions could affect seals' immune systems, hormone levels, and ability to recover between feeding trips.
Sayers expressed concern about this year's seal pup season, describing it as one of the worst on record, with more than half of recorded pups being dead or dying. She believes climate change has influenced breeding patterns, as the trust had not previously recorded seal pups being born in every month of a calendar year until this year.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) stated that existing legislative protections make it an offence to take, injure, capture, or kill a seal.