Public urged to stay away from seals off Jersey

A lot of the seals are pregnant at the moment, Donna De Gruchy from the team says

A marine rescue team has urged members of the public to stay away from seals in Jersey's waters.

The British Divers Marine Life Rescue team said it had noticed seals had given birth to their young in Jersey earlier this year.

The first pup of the new season - a common seal pup, which the team said was actually "a rarity" - was born just off the island on Tuesday.

Donna De Gruchy, from the team, said a lot of the seals were pregnant at the moment and at risk of being disturbed. "If the pups keep coming in then we are really going to have to have a look at setting up a sanctuary here," she said.

"The main population of seas that we have around Jersey are the grey seals, but the common ones we don’t often see," she said.

"It’s a rarity for sure, I think with the massive tide drop then there’s a possibility they got lost in the waters."

'Dogs on leads'

Talking about what to do when a seal is spotted in the waters off the island, she said: "If the public sight a seal, then if they can call us straight away that would be great.

"We will get someone down to the beach to assess the situation no matter what condition.

"Please keep children away and dogs on leads."

She added: "Keep the distance, stand down wind, and wait for us to arrive if you possibly can."

"Disturbance of pregnant seals is definitely an issue, it’s something that obviously makes us very nervous."