Leave as you find!

Our fabulous volunteer, Haley Dolton (from University of Exeter, Penryn) made us a beautiful ‘infographic’ leaflet describing the ideal seal interaction showing how to watch seals safely!

Do you watch seals from land? If so, here’s our advice about how to get the best view of seals.

Seals need to spend time on land to rest, digest their food and replenish their oxygen supplies. We need to make sure when we watch them that we do not change their behaviour!

When disturbed a seal will

Look up
Release stress hormones
Breathe faster and have a racing heartbeat
If it continues to be frightened, it will have a flight response
It might stampede into the sea – using precious energy
It could hurt itself rushing to the water over sharp rocks where it may rip out a claw or gash its belly
When it hits the water suddenly, it will get cold shock just like you and I.

Do you watch seals from the sea? If so, here’s how to enjoy this amazing wildlife spectacle in their environment.

Disturbance is a change in behaviour in response to a human activity.

Did you know it can be a criminal offence to disturb seals depending on where they are? It is always good to err on the side of caution. The worst disturbance event CSGRT ever recorded was 10 stampedes into the sea within 70 minutes. This came from a number of land, air and sea based sources.

What you can do to put seals first:

Shhh! Talk in whispers and stay upwind
Give seals space: avoid pups and seals on land
Keep your pets under control and quiet
If a seal is looking at you, you are probably already too close!

From boats

Slow down
Have you boat side on and be predictable
Let sleeping seals lie
Stay a short time
Never feed a wild seal
In the sea let seals come to you

So our top tips are:

Put seals first
Leave seals as you find them
Quietly enjoy watching the wild behaviour of this globally rare, charismatic species

Massive thanks to Haley for her wonderful design work, without which this invaluable resource would not exist.