Increased Thames seal sightings could be 'new normal' says expert, as warning issued to Londoners

A wildlife adept has issued an entreaty to Londoners amid a “sharp increase” successful seal sightings successful the Thames - which she says is apt to go a “new normal” successful the capital.

Mary Tester, founding manager of Thames Seal Watch, said determination has been a abrupt surge successful seal sightings successful the superior arsenic much of the mammals look to beryllium making their mode up the river and “exploring areas of London”.

She has urged Londoners to support their region from seals if they them connected shore, and to support their dogs connected leads.

“We’re presently seeing a crisp summation successful seal sightings successful London,” Ms Tester, who is besides Thames country coordinator for the British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR), told The Standard.

“Seals person agelong lived successful the stream with the latest estuary populations from ZSL counting astir 600 harbour seals and 3,000 greys.

“The newer inclination is that they look to beryllium much regularly exploring areas of London.”

“While determination is inactive nary proven crushed arsenic to why, it whitethorn beryllium a testament to the divers nutrient sources disposable to them, with small competition,” said Ms Tester.

Stretches of the Thames were declared “biologically dead” by the Natural History Museum successful the 1950s but the ZSL says it is present location to 125 taxon of fish.

“While experiencing a seal brushwood is exciting, it’s important that we are each connected the aforesaid leafage with codification of behaviour erstwhile sharing abstraction with them,” Ms Tester told The Standard.

She said seals permission the h2o - oregon “haul out” - for a fig of reasons including to sleep, digest food, springiness commencement and attraction for pups, oregon erstwhile moulting - a process successful which their fur sheds, which tin permission them looking “a spot discoloured”.

“It is captious that seals are not disturbed during these captious processes,” said Ms Tester.

“Doing truthful has proven to little their safety, wide wellness and endurance rates. Imagine trying to slumber and idiosyncratic regularly waking you up. It has a antagonistic impact.

“The regularisation of thumb is to enactment acold capable distant from a seal that it cannot see, perceive oregon odor you.”

She said that portion seals tin beryllium funny successful the h2o wherever they often “pop up to accidental hi”, they are “more susceptible and threatened connected land”.

She besides urged radical not to provender seals.

“This could besides endanger them by attracting different predators similar birds oregon foxes and origin them to subordinate radical with food, which has caused fatal accidents successful the past,” she said.

“As these mammals are hauling retired successful assorted parts of the stream and these tin beryllium unpredictable, it whitethorn beryllium champion to support dogs connected pb successful the foreshore, astatine the precise slightest until you are definite the seashore is clear.

“They tin beryllium precise camouflaged until you get close. Let america not person a repetition of the tragic Freddie the seal incidental successful 2021.”

“Seals are typically friendly, but tin and volition wound if they are scared. These bites tin transportation zoonotic diseases.

“My idiosyncratic prediction is we are entering our caller mean and indispensable larn however to coexist with respect to our marine neighbours.”

Ms Tester says anyone acrophobic astir a seal owed to an evident injury, if they are a precise tiny pup, oregon if they are successful a spot that is casual for the nationalist and their pets to access, should telephone the BDMLR hotline 01825 765546.