Just before Christmas 2019 there were news reports of two seal pup deaths at a popular tourist site along the Norfolk coast. One pup had been surrounded by visitors to the beach and their presence had so scared the mother that she abandoned the pup. The second death was caused by children chasing a seal pup into the sea. The fur of such young pups is not waterproof and the animal could not swim and drowned.
This is not acceptable. Too many people get too close to the seals, often to get a selfie. They let their dogs and children run amok among the basking animals. I assume that there are moves to make this region a protected zone and perhaps even to close the beaches when there are pups present. I must admit prior to our visit, I had thought that was the case and that the only way to see them was from a dune-top viewing platform rather than walking on the sands.
I hope we were responsible during our visit. We wanted to see them but kept well away. While we were there we saw groups of people walking within a couple of feet of the animals and worse two people with an Alsation attempting to get a selfie on the rocks next to a pup and its mother.
In related news, a total ban on parking on Beach Road, Winterton, came into force on 13th January. Just so you know if you were planning on visiting the seals.