Bad week for seal pups as many die and some are rescued after storms.

23/06/2007 00:00:00 November 2007. Trained volunteers from the UK’s leading marine animal rescue organisation have had a hard week rescueing many baby seals in need of help.

Marine Mammal Medics from British Divers Marine Life Rescue have rescued 12 Grey seal pups from the coast in the last week. The recent storms and high tides in the North Sea, which killed many pups on the Farne Islands, have also washed up many pups on the east coast of England and Scotland. As well as this increase, the ‘usual’ seal pup season has begun in the South West of the country where more pups have been rescued.

Trevor Weeks, national coordinator, said, ‘Our medics have been responding fantastically to the calls we have been receiving, they have been providing the vital first response life-line that these young pups need. The storms in the North Sea and around Scotland have caused major problems for the seal colonies and we have had a real peak of calls and rescues in the last week.’

BDMLR volunteers have rescued two seal pups from the Northumberland coastline. These pups had coloured spray marks on them identifying them as from the Farne Islands where the National Trust mark the newborn pups with harmless spray. The pups, still with their white coats, had clearly been washed away from their mothers during the recent high tides and storms. Unlike many pups, which perished on the islands as reported by BBC Autumnwatch, these two pups have been washed up on the mainland and rescued. Both pups are now safe in rehabilitation units after being rescued by BDMLR Marine Mammal Medics.

Tony Woodley, national spokesman, said, ‘BDMLR volunteers form the frontline for marine animal rescue work, they are the ‘emergency service’ for these animals when they need help. Our volunteers throughout the country have been working flat out and attending calls at all hours of the day and night. There have been over 24 call-outs in the last week with over half of these ending with a pup being rescued. This response from our network is only possible due to the donations our charity receives to enable us to carry out this work.’ Call-outs to seal pups have come in from; Thurso, Yorkshire, Kent, Cornwall, Caithness, Northumberland and North Berwick.

Grey seals give birth to their pups in the autumn and winter months. The pups are dependant on their mothers for approximately 21 days. Often the pups are separated from their mothers for reasons such as public disturbance and severe weather. The separated pups often suffer from malnutrition, pneumonia, injuries and hypothermia.

British Divers Marine Life Rescue
BDMLR was formed by a group of divers in 1988 in response to the deaths of a large number of seals in the Wash area of East Anglia. It is now a committed 24 hr rescue service. BDMLR now train over 400 Marine Mammal Medics a year and have 20 whale rescue pontoons located at strategic points throughout the UK waiting to help stranded whales and dolphins. There are over 3000 volunteers nation-wide. In January 2006 BDMLR lead the efforts to the rescue the Thames Whale.