18 seal pups clubbed to death– man charged
07/12/2008 19:38:18
The latest research on seal populations was conducted by the Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) at St Andrews University and the latest figures show that last year common seal numbers fell from:-
4,256 to 3,379 in Orkney
1,056 to 800 along the eastern coast of the northern Highlands
113 to 102 in the north-east, in Grampian,
6,702 to 4,732 on the west coast from Oban to the Mull of Kintyre.
445 to 215, in Fife
And by nearly half in the smaller populations around Lothian and Dumfries and Galloway.
December 2008. A man has been charged in connection with the clubbing to death of 18 grey seal pups found on a beach in the Shetland Islands.
Police were alerted by workers from Scottish Natural Heritage while conducting a seal survey. When officers attended the beach, in the East Linga area of the Shetlands, they found 12 dead pups on one part of the beach and six on another section. A man will appear at Lerwick Sheriff Court in due course.
Andy Ottaway, Campaign Director at the Seal Protection Action Group said: "This shocking event is sadly typical of the kind of cruel abuse inflicted upon our seals. We hope that the perpetrator will be punished with the full force of the law. This horrifying incident can only strengthen our case for greater protection for our globally important seal populations"
Declining population of Harbour seals
The pups killed were grey seals, one of two species in British waters. The Shetland Islands are also home to a globally important population of common (Harbour) seals. Recently scientists have reported that there has been a 'frightening' decline of common seals in Scotland and England. Read more about the decline in Harbour seals.
In 2007, the Scottish Government introduced a ban on the deliberate killing of common seals in the Shetland Islands, Orkney and an area of the east coast between Stonehaven and Dunbar because of concern over their declining numbers. It is not yet clear if grey seals are at risk.
5000 seals shot in Scotland every year
However, grey and common seals across other parts of Scotland are not protected and campaigners believe an estimated 5,000 seals are shot in Scottish waters each year by salmon farm and fisheries interests.
The Seal Protection Action Group and a coalition of other animal welfare and conservation organisations have been protesting outside of the Scottish Parliament calling for an immediate ban on the shooting or otherwise killing of seals.
"This culture of killing seals must stop!" Andy Ottaway "We need a ceasefire for seals with immediate effect and the comprehensive protection of our disappearing seal populations from deliberate killing before it is too late."
Courtesy of The Seal Protection Action Group
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