Grey seal pup advice

SCOTTISH Natural Heritage is reminding people to stay away from grey seals at this time of year, as their pups are being born.

Between now and the middle of December grey seals and their pups can be found on remote beaches on Orkney and the Inner and Outer Hebrides as well as in some smaller colonies on Shetland.

A spokesperson for SNH said the young can’t immediately venture into the sea after birth, but stay on the foreshore for up to 30 days while their mother feeds them to build up their body fat and strength.

“Any disturbance stresses the pup and mother, and the youngster may also move away from where the mother has left it,” she said.

“If approached, the adults may become alarmed and stampede towards the sea, resulting in pups being crushed or injured.”

Grey seals are found only in the north Atlantic, the Baltic Sea and the Barents Sea.

They are one of the rarer seal species with a world population of only 350,000-400,000. Around 36 per cent of the world population lives in the UK, and around 90 per cent of these live in Scotland.