Bad summer weather 'confuses' seals into thinking it's winter

Does it feel like winter to you?

The recent bad weather this summer might have kept you indoors, but for some seals in Cornwall it's been even more of an ordeal.

Animal charity Cornish Seal Sanctuary has said that grey seals, who live year-round at the marine rescue charity's site in Gweek, have been left "confused" by the "wash-out" summer.

So confused in fact, that some have even started shedding their fur - a process called moulting - to prepare for their winter coats to grow.

Usually this happens much later in the year to help keep them warm in winter and early spring, then their winter coat is shed ready for the next summer.

Tamara Cooper from the charity says: "It's incredibly unusual for our seals to be moulting at this time of year, but we think a few of them might be a bit confused by the dull weather.

"The process takes a lot of energy, as they have to increase the blood supply to the skin at this time, so, as you can imagine, they're spending a lot of time resting."

People have been warned to stay away from seals if they see them on beaches as it can be harmful for the animals

But this isn't the only example of the weather having an affect on seals - wild grey seal populations around the Cornish coast have been changing their habits too.

She says: "Pup season seems to be starting earlier and earlier each year, with pups now coming into our hospital as early as August.

"We used to expect them from September. This means our team is already prepping our hospital for the first patients, which could be just a matter of days."

She added: "While this could be a direct sign of our seasons getting earlier over the years, it also has a knock-on effect because the pups are more likely to come into contact with the huge volume of visitors Cornwall sees each summer to our local beaches."

Although it can be exciting for people to see seals pups, this isn't good news for the animals themselves.

If they are disturbed this can cause big issues for pups on the beach, who can be abandoned by their mums.

The charity has advised people to keep dogs on leads and children away from any seals when visiting beaches, and not to approach or chase the seal back into the sea.