Due to the storm in recent days, a large number of newborn gray seal pups have washed up on the beaches of the Wadden Islands.
The Ecomare rescue center in De Koog received seven reports of small seals washing up on Monday morning. Reports also poured in on Sunday. Puppies also wash up on Terschelling, waiting at the Groene Strand until they can get back into the water.
The gray seal birth season has just started, according to Ecomare. The animals stay on sandbanks, but due to the stormy weather, some pups are washed off the sandbanks. Sometimes they come ashore with their mother, but lonely pups are also found.
‘Keep your distance from washed-up puppies’
Ecomare recommends keeping a good distance and keeping dogs on a leash on the beach. Experts from a seal center come to see what is going on.
“We keep an eye on every puppy that washes up for at least 24 hours. It is very possible that the mother will still show up and take care of her little one herself. To tell the puppies apart, we mark them with a paint dot. If a puppy is really left alone, it will be taken care of,” said an Ecomare spokesperson. “And it is not without reason that we say that people should keep their distance: gray seals can be quite aggressive when they feel threatened. We have already had reports of people saying they had been attacked by a seal.”