Largest grey seal colony in England to welcome 4,000-strong baby boom

Mother & pup at Blakeney Point, cared for by the National Trust The largest grey seal colony in England is expecting a major baby boom of 4,000 new arrivals this year, the National Trust has said. Rangers monitoring the colony at Blakeney National Nature Reserve in Norfolk are having to rethink the way they count the numbers of pups born at the breeding ground due to how much it is growing. Low levels of disturbance and mortality of the pups at the site in the first few weeks of life gave the colony its best chance at increasing numbers, said the Trust . There is also a lack a natural predators on the long shingle spit where they give birth and raise their young. The first grey seal pup was recorded at the nature reserve in 1988. The colony’s numbers have since exploded, growing from 25 pups born in 2001 to 3,399 pups in 2019. The first pup this year was spotted at the end of October, and around 4,000 new arrivals are expected this breeding season. But the Trust said the massive numbers of pups being born at Blakeney Point mean it is nearly impossible to count all […]

Click here to view original web page at Largest grey seal colony in England to welcome 4,000-strong baby boom