The course
Today I became a seal sitter with the Manx Wildlife Trust. The training took a little over an hour, and I came away with a place in a WhatsApp group, a clear idea of what to do, and signs of my own.
I was especially pleased about the signs. On my recent trip to the Point of Ayre I had seen the Trust’s notices about the seals there. Now I have a stack of my own, laminated, with the warning in red capitals and three cheerful grey seals drawn underneath. The line that matters is the one in the middle: it is an offence under the Wildlife Act 1990 to disturb or harm seals.
What a seal sitter does
The job is simpler than the title suggests. When the Trust has a sighting of a seal that may be in distress, word goes out on the group, and whoever can get there goes and watches. You report back on how the animal is doing, and you make sure people and dogs leave it alone.
Most of the time the seal is simply tired. Rough weather drives young seals onto beaches that do not suit them, and what they need is rest, undisturbed, before they head back out to sea. If one turns out to be injured or sick, the Trust sends its marine mammal medics, and as a last resort the animal is taken to the rehabilitation centre and cared for until it can be released.
It is mostly about the pups, who are the ones that generally get into trouble. With the adults there is less you can do: they are much larger, and the practical options are more limited. This is now the prime season for seal pups, running until November, so the group will be busy.
Getting stuck in
My girlfriend became a seal sitter last year, and came to the course with me anyway. I have just renewed our membership of the Trust as a joint one, so now I can actually get stuck in as well.
The signs will live in the adventure vehicle. My next job is to find a wooden stake for the big one and a bag of cable ties for the smaller ones.
Now I just need a seal.
