The First Seal Pups Spotted on the Coast of the Gulf of Riga
Published: 09.03.2021
Add Events
Over the past weekend, the Nature Conservation Agency (hereinafter – the Agency) received the first reports of grey seal pups encountered on the Latvian coast – the pups are healthy, many of them are with their mothers, and they do not require human assistance.
Seal pups can be found on the beaches of the Gulf of Riga every year in March and April. Although people may wish to “rescue” the pups, the best help is simply not to disturb or approach them, and to keep pets on a leash when walking along the coast.
The first seal pups this year were spotted on the Vidzeme coast, where ice floes broken up by storms have been pushed closer to the shore and piled up in a strip several kilometres long. Near the coast, seal mothers with pups were spotted in several places, both together and separately on individual pieces of ice. “This year, the relatively cold winter contributed to the formation of an ice layer in the sea, which persisted until March as the cold weather continued. In nature, the designated place for seals to give birth is a drifting or coastal ice floe. Seal mothers and their pups on ice floes are a common sight in normal winters,” says zoologist Valdis Pilāts.
The Agency urges residents who find seal pups on the coast to refrain from wanting to record the event and share it on social media. Such behaviour increases the flow of people to the coast, thereby causing unnecessary stress to the seals and even endangering their lives.
Seal pups require human assistance only if they are dangerously injured, have been bitten by dogs, or are severely weakened. In such cases, residents are not allowed to rescue the animals themselves, as this endangers both the pup’s and the rescuer’s health. If it appears that a seal pup requires assistance, please inform the Agency by calling: 28385025 (Kurzeme), 26424972 (Pierīga) and 26329412 (Vidzeme).
Seal pups encountered on the beach may often appear helpless, as reflected in the calls received about supposedly weakened or even dead pups. However, after an inspection, it turns out that they are fine and that the pup is simply resting. To determine the appropriate further action, the Agency’s specialists assess the situation: if the pup is sufficiently healthy, the specialists leave it on the beach where it was found; if significant injuries are identified, the seal pup may be taken to Riga Zoo for recovery.
To explain the correct course of action when a seal pup is spotted on the beach, the Agency has put up information posters in many places along the coast. Everyone is also invited to watch, on the YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/Ox93MpCiCw0 an educational animated film about three seal pups and their fate when they come ashore, created in cooperation with “Animācijas brigāde”. In addition, in order to raise public awareness of this issue, the Agency has contacted both local authorities and representatives of general education schools.
In the image – a grey seal pup (photo: A. Soms).
Information prepared by:
Nature Conservation Agency
Nature Education Specialist
Nature Education Specialist
Categories:
Other;
