Grey Seal Pups Arrive at Suffolk Nature Reserve for Breeding Season

The initial grey seal pups of the current breeding period have been delivered at a Suffolk colony. The National Trust revealed earlier this year that Orford Ness had established itself as the county’s inaugural breeding ground for grey seals, a development kept undisclosed since 2021. The organization anticipates the birth of additional pups in the forthcoming weeks. Matt Wilson, the countryside manager overseeing the Suffolk and Essex coast, reported that the first pup was observed during a regular census of the colony. Orford Ness, a 10-mile long (16km) vegetated shingle spit, connects to the mainland directly south of Aldeburgh. Public entry is exclusively facilitated by a National Trust boat departing from the village of Orford. Mr Wilson elaborated, stating, “The team were out, as we do counts through October and the winter period when the seals come back in big numbers.” He added, “We spotted our first seal pup just a couple of weeks ago.” Comparing this year to the last, he noted, “Last year we had our first pup right in the middle of November and this was almost 10 days earlier.” He further clarified the observation timeline: “We didn’t see it for a couple of days – we did our count on the Monday and this one was spotted on the Friday of the same week.” Rangers carry out their surveys of the 400-member colony remotely to avoid disturbing the wildlife. This marks the fourth successive year of successful reproduction at Orford Ness, a site that previously served as a 20th Century military testing ground and is inaccessible to visitors during the winter months. Mr Wilson confirmed that six pups have been observed to date. He proceeded to state, “We’ll see many more over the next month-and-a-half to two months, but it is a tricky time because they are at risk.” He elaborated on the specific dangers, explaining, “Where they are at Orford Ness they are right next to the sea, so things like the storm event this weekend could impact them.” He added, “Because they’re not waterproof, they have an element of risk of just being around where they are.” The young seals develop waterproofing after they have shed their dense white coat. Mr Wilson identified human presence as an additional hazard to the seals. He strongly advised individuals observing seals nationwide to maintain a respectful distance and refrain from using drones. He cautioned, “If the adults get disturbed and perhaps panic slightly, stampeding into the water, there’s a risk those pups could be abandoned.” He further warned, “Equally they could be injured in that rush of adults into the water.” For updates on Suffolk news, follow BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram, and X. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC disclaims responsibility for the content of external websites. Information regarding our policy on external linking is available.