Seal populations on beaches and haul-out sites are vulnerable to welfare-harming disturbance from tourists, dogs, and recreational activities that can cause serious harm to individuals and breeding groups.
Seal disturbance causes welfare harm at both individual and population level. Individual seals chased by dogs or people experience acute fear responses that burn energy needed for thermoregulation and recovery. Pups separated from mothers during disturbance events may be permanently abandoned, requiring costly rehabilitation or dying from starvation. Repeated disturbance at haul-out sites causes chronic stress that reduces immune function and may reduce breeding success. The welfare and conservation solution is simple but requires public education: maintain distance, keep dogs on leads, and treat seals with the same respect afforded to terrestrial wildlife in nature reserves.