Harbour seals pup on sheltered beaches and sandbanks in early summer. Human disturbance during this critical period causes abandonment and pup mortality.
Harbour seal pups separated from their mothers face starvation and cold stress. A pup alone on a beach is not always abandoned — mothers may be in the water nearby and will return when disturbance ends. Human approach or handling prevents maternal return and virtually guarantees abandonment. Pups brought to rehabilitation centres require weeks of intensive care and specialist facilities. Prevention through awareness signage, voluntary exclusion zones and wardening at known pupping sites is far more effective for population welfare than rehabilitating abandoned pups.