A long way on your own, when you’re just three ….

by Darren

…. weeks old!

This seal was photographed at Donna Nook on the Lincolnshire coast. It’s a magical place in December where lives begin and end. They begin when pups are born with beautiful creamy white fur. You can see this one is starting to lose theirs around the eyes. The pups are weaned at just three to four weeks old and the cows are rounded up by the bulls so they can fight for the right to mate with the hareem. The fights are really quite violent when they get going.

Meanwhile those three week old pups are left at the top of the beach. It’s a long way to the sea for me at 35 years old, so you can imagine what it must be like for an animal who has just been born and who hasn’t been there before, or read the experiences of anyone who has. Somehow, they work it out and they get down there.

A couple of youngsters (including this one) accompanied me down the beach last time I went. They were a bit slow so I had to wait, but I also had to be very careful not to let them actually reach me. It’s a privilege to be able to watch these animals take their very first slides along the sand, but we must never abuse that by getting involved in the events that shape their young lives.