Stormy weather sees seals wash onto Irish shores
Already, 62 seals aged between three and four months have been rescued, with some weighing less than when they were born.
Brendan Price, who runs the Irish Seal Sanctuary, said near-constant winds have scattered the lightweight seal cubs and have left them unable to feed properly.
“While there have been no huge storms there has still been no let-up in the winds throughout October, November and December, and those sustained winds have left us touching on a record. It has been a very, very busy season.”
Baby grey seals are usually born in late autumn and are quickly weaned off their mothers’s milk.
Mr Price said the emaciated nature of some of the pups washed up this winter suggests some have not fed properly for weeks.
“We are getting an amount of cubs in that have gone back to their birth weight or less. They are totally starving some are just skin and bone.
“They are weaned off their mother fairly quickly and at this age they should be 35 or 40 kilograms, but what is coming in is just wasting away. Some of them are just throwing themselves on the rocks.”
The demand for space at the Dublin-based sanctuary means seals are having to be released before they would usually be.
The Northern Ireland sanctuary is experiencing similar difficulties and has had to move some pups to shelters in Wales.
Researcher at the Costal and Marine Resource Centre at University College Cork, Michelle Cronin, said grey seals’ breeding habits leave them particularly vulnerable to winter storms.
“Young seals would be weaned off their mother after the first few weeks and that leads to a very high mortality rate.
“Also, they breed in far more exposed places that tend to bear the brunt of stormy conditions. But the high number being found at this time also has a bit to do with there being more people out walking and actually seeing them.”
The resource centre carried out a population survey of grey seals last year and estimate there are 6,000 living along our shoreline.
Mr Price said trends from 18-year research being finalised at the Irish Seal Sanctuary suggests a distinct change in patterns. He said this is tied up with the global warming debate.
“We have seen it with the Guillemots (birds) already this year and now with the grey seals. There is definitely something happening with weather patterns and you can really pick that up with how it affects the wildlife.”
The sanctuary is asking walkers to watch for washed-up pups, though it warned not to touch them as they can bite.
The Irish Seal Sanctuary can be contacted on 01-8354370.
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