What do I do if I encounter a seal pup on a beach?

If you encounter a seal pup on Scilly, there are a three quick things you can do to help:

• Move away slowly and calmly from the animal. This is especially important if you have dogs with you. Your pet pooch may be your beautiful and well-behaved best friend, but to a seal any dog is perceived as a top predator. Standing close to the animal or taking a dog up to it will cause stress (which you may not be able to see). If the mother is out in the bay and perceives a significant threat to her pup, she may abandon it. Seal pups, however cute, also have very sharp teeth with lots of bacteria and a bite can be nasty for you and your pet.
   
• Observe the animal from a distance. There are some key things to look for to see if the pup needs help. Are there any obvious injuries on the animal (like open wounds or entanglement)? What colour is the coat? (A young pup still dependent on its mother will be white and fluffy, an older weaning animal may show signs of moult, and an independent animal will be mottled grey). Is it nice and round? (A healthy seal pup should look like a big balloon; a seal may be underweight or malnourished if you can clearly see a skinny neck or there are rolls of skin). Lethargy or sleeping may not be signs that something is wrong; seals need their sleep like us, and after a strong swim from the Western Rocks the animal is probably just exhausted and in need of rest.
   
• If you believe that the animal is injured or severely underweight, it’s time to call for help. The Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust does not deal directly with injured seals, however we can help and pass messages to the right people, so call us if you have concerns. Alternatively, you can get in touch with the local vet directly (01720 423667) and contact British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) on 01825 765546 and they will offer you advice and contact one of their other trained Medics to attend. Often seal pups will be reported on Facebook, so check the 'Isles of Scilly Noticeboard' to see if anyone has already been in touch.

Please do not approach or try to put a seal pup back in the sea. It is very risky for you and will cause harm to the animal. Seals need to rest on land to conserve energy, digest food more efficiently and sleep, sop forcing them back into the water can be detrimental to their health.

What will happen if I call-in an injured or underweight seal pup?

Usual practice is to monitor seal pups for a period of about 24 hours (unless they are visibly injured and/or very underweight) to see whether their mother returns. One of the islands’ BDMLR Marine Mammal Medics or the local vet will arrange this, and priority will be given to animals that are visibly injured. Marine Mammal Medics are volunteers, so have to fit this work around their paid employment and commitments. Where seal pups are on the off-islands, this process may be delayed due to transport/weather. If the seal pup looks like it needs help to survive, the vet and BDMLR will make the necessary arrangements to uplift and care for the animal where possible.

What happens to injured or sick seal pups on Scilly?

If a seal pup cannot survive on its own in the wild, BDMLR and the local vet will do what they can to get help for the animal. There is no provision on Scilly for looking after seal pups, so we require an onward journey and care plan for the seal pup before going through the stress of uplifting it from the beach and taking it into care.

Once uplifted by a Marine Mammal Medic, the vet will carry out a physical assessment (weight, temperature, check for infections, etc.) and transfer the animal to transport crate. They may administer fluids/supplements or medication if required. After this, we work with BDMLR and the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company to transport the animal to the mainland, ideally on the same day, where they will be taken to the BDMLR purpose-built Cornwall Seal Hospital. Where weather and transport issues conspire against us, we need to be aware of the difficulties of caring for the seal on island. Sadly, uplifting and onward care isn’t always an option, and in this rare instance, we must let nature take its course.

What is a Marine Mammal Medic?

A Marine Mammal Medic is a volunteer with the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR). Marine Mammal Medics are trained to visually and physically assess a stranded marine mammal (seals, dolphins and whales) and potentially intervene where the animal cannot survive on its own. They do this with support from the BDMLR area coordinators and the local vet and are insured and trained to assess a situation safely. They can provide support and leadership in a rescue/re-floating situation, too. You can find out more about the organisation and training courses here.

Header image: Thinesh Thirugnanasampanthar