We are starting to come to the time of year where Harbour Seal pups begin to wean. When they around 6 weeks old mum will leave her pup which will go hungry for a short period before deciding to go off to look for food on its own.
As you can imagine these young seals will use more energy while learning to hunt than an adult seal which has had lots of practice and so will often need to come on shore to rest and will appear underweight until they master their fishing skills. Usually, these seals will take themselves back out to hunt once they have rested.
If you see a seal on the beach stand well back and do not approach. These seals have large teeth and can inflict a nasty bite.
Phone Exploris on 028 4272 8062. We may ask you to take photos from a distance and send them to our Seal Rescue team who will assess the condition of the seal and make a decision on how to proceed. Disturbing these seals can make them return to the water to find a quieter resting place causing them to use more energy and making more difficult for us to rescue a seal if needed.
Always keep an eye on dogs when walking on the beach. Dogs will find seal pups quicker than we will and may be injured if they approach a tired or injured seal.
