Common Seal Welfare: Pupping Beaches and Disturbance Threats

Common seals give birth to pups that can swim within hours. Their pupping beaches are highly sensitive to disturbance, and their welfare depends on protected haul-out sites and clean seas.

Key Facts

Common seals (harbour seals) give birth to single pups that enter the water within hours of birth
Pups nurse for 3-4 weeks before being abruptly weaned and left to fend for themselves
Common seal populations in parts of Scotland have declined by over 40% since the 1990s
Disturbance at haul-out sites causes mother-pup separation and abandonment
Phocine distemper virus has caused mass mortality events in common seal populations across Europe

Welfare Considerations

Human disturbance at pupping beaches is one of the most preventable welfare harms to common seals. Kayakers, dogs, and drone operators flushing seals into the water separate mothers from newborn pups, causing hypothermia and starvation in abandoned individuals. Repeated disturbance at haul-out sites prevents rest that is essential for thermoregulation and digestion. Disease outbreaks like phocine distemper cause rapid and painful mortality. Maintaining exclusion zones during the pupping season is the most direct welfare intervention.

What You Can Do

Keep 100 metres distance from seal haul-out sites, especially during pupping season May-June
Never use drones near seal colonies without specific wildlife survey permits
Keep dogs on leads near beaches where seals haul out
Report disturbance incidents and sick or injured seals to the RSPCA or BDMLR