There are two species of seals in the wadden sea, harbour seals (phoca vitulina) and grey seals (halichoerus grypus). Observations show harbour seals have world wide one of the strongest and closest bond between mother and their pups.
The first 2 weeks the mother does not even feed, because the risk of separation from mother and baby is too high!
Even after that time the harbour seal mothers have a close eye on their pups and mostly stay in body contact with them. If this contact is broken because of a disturbance the helpless young seals have no chance and become huilers.
The grey seals give birth to their pups in winter time and in difference to harbour seals on water save places for example in dunes or other higher beach parts. Also, the kind of raising their pups is complete different to common seals.
Seal research and rehabilitation is varies across European countries.
There is no rehabilitation in Denmark and in Germany the admission of seals to rehabilitation centres is decided by hunters
The seal rehabilitation centers are non profit organisations.
We are running a first aid station for motherless seal pubs and the once they need help. We are based on Foehr. An island in the northsea and near by a birth area of harbour seals.
Since some years “The Seal Rehabilitation and Research Centre Lenie´t Hart” observed harbour seals during the pupping seasons.
The results demonstrate that there is a very strong bond between mothers and pubs. Disturbance and occasionally extreme weather conditions lead to the seperation of mothers and their pups.
A research project to study the bond between mothers and pubs in the German Wadden Sea has now started.
In this area, several factors cause disturbance to all seals but mothers and pups are mostely affected from this.
Including tourism, water sports, motor boats, kite surfing, fishing aso. Current legislation.
Thats not helpful to improve animal welfare.To complete the imagine of the pups, behavior also animals in a park bear the west coast is studied.
Also, there are diffenrent disturbance, that caused problems in the seals population. Tourism, watersports, motor boats, kitesurfing, fishing nets..
The power point presentation should give an overview of this work and also show how to deal with this.
Topics: Management of Human-Wildlife Conflicts: Large Carnivores in Europe , Topics: Natural Resource and Conservation Stakeholders: Managing Expectations and Engageme
