Seal population - Barbarous gesture

The relationship between man and wildlife is far from seamless or ideal, but yesterday’s discovery of the heads of two dead seals nailed to the entrance of a wildlife and seal sanctuary in Kerry is barbaric.

Fishermen are being blamed, as they have argued long and hard for a seal cull. A combination of falling fish stocks and a growing seal population means conflict is inevitable.

A census of the seal population is ongoing and hopefully it will reach conclusions quickly. If it deems a cull necessary, then so be it.

This sorry affair points to a bigger question. Can we relentlessly extract ever more of the world’s bounty for our own use without considering the consequences on the other inhabitants of the planet? Surely not, and yesterday’s outrage warns us that we need to strike a better balance in our relationship with the natural world.