Thousands of seals living in London's Thames Estuary

Conservationists say that they are around 3,600 seals living in London's Thames Estuary.

The Zoological Society of London (ZSL), which runs London Zoo, joined up with the Royal Air Force in order to take to the air and sea to count the animals.

The team calculated the number of mammals laying out on sandbanks and estimated how many may be in the water.

Experts say the numbers show that the habitat is still healthy.

'Seal' of approval

The count was completed over several days last month during the moulting season for the harbour seals.

During this time, the seals spent much of their day basking on the estuary’s sandbanks, making it easier for the survey team to spot them.

The seals were observed from boats along the estuary, as well as from the air above the coastline between Suffolk and Kent.

Experts were able to estimate that almost 600 harbour seals and 3,000 grey seals live in the area.

ZSL’s Hannah McCormick, who led the survey, explained that it wasn't easy task.

“Seals are playful but shy creatures, so using a long-range lens to take photos from a distance allows us to maximise our counting accuracy while also minimising any disturbance," she said.

She added that overall the results had been positive.

"Although we still have a way to go in terms of improving the health of this important habitat, as top predators, this seal population shows us that there is good habitat available to the species that call the Thames home."