It might be human nature, but it's not good for seals if you get too close to them at the beach or attempt to send them back on a journey in the water. The BBC reported on Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue, a wildlife group in England, and its efforts to remind humans and their pets to give the adorable marine creatures a wide berth.
After an image emerged in late December of crowds of humans and dogs surrounding seals on Cleethorpes beach, the group was spurred into action.
"There is an unfortunate need for these signs as we regularly see people ushering seals back out into the water," Aaron Goss, lead researcher for the group, told the BBC.
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Definitely 👍 The signs carry messages like "Seals use the beach to rest!" and "Marine Life Safe Barrier Do Not Cross." They'll be put up when a seal is spotted to remind humans to stay back and can also go up if a member of the group is checking on the health of a resting seal. Goss indicated the group is "hopeful" beachgoers will abide by the signs.
The temptation to see marine animals up close plagues humans all over the world. In San Diego, humans surrounded sea lions for photo ops and ignored protections for the animals.
Seals have had some exciting population rebounds on the English coastline with a lack of human contact being credited for the change. A disturbing example of the opposite end of the spectrum was a Welsh seal that died with a plastic collar of trash around its neck before rescuers could help it. As human and wildlife interactions trend higher for animals like seals, letting the wild animals be wild and doing our best to remain a safe distance away can make a huge difference in these animals' conservation.
Cleethorpes Wildlife Rescue shared advice to the BBC for visitors if they spot seals. That includes giving them at least 100 meters (328 feet) of space. Other best practices are leashing your dog, resisting the urge to approach the seals, and being quiet so as not to disturb them.
Getting humans to follow these guidelines will be critical to ensuring the seal population stays healthy in the Cleethorpes area.
Goss said when humans push the animals into the water, it "can potentially be fatal in weaker seals and can also cause younger pups to be separated from their mothers."
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