Cornish charity backs push for legal protection of resting seals
Sayers said: “Seals need sleep just like we do… When they’re disturbed, they can panic, stampede across a beach or throw themselves into the sea, risking serious injury.”
The campaign follows concerns over what the trust described as the “hidden cost” of disturbance.
The charity said frequent interruptions could affect seals’ immune systems, hormone levels and ability to recover between feeding trips.
Sayers also expressed concern about this year’s seal pup season, describing it as one of the worst on record.
“More than half of the seal pups we’ve recorded so far this year have been dead or dying.”
She said until this year, the trust had never recorded seal pups being born in every month of a calendar year, and believed climate change had influenced breeding patterns.
