Influx lungworm patients remain worrying
The SRRC carried out two flights over the Dutch Wadden Sea, to count the number of seals. The SRRC is happy to find that – despite climate change, disruption and increase of disease- the population of seals has been able to increase. A total of 5600 seals has been counted, most of which were common seals and a small part grey seals.
Compared to last year, the increase is around 800; the number of seals rehabilitated and released by the SRRC was over 400. The number of seals in the neighbouring countries such as England and Scotland are in decline: There, the population of especially the common seal is dropping at great speed.
The count is carried out with a plane that zigzags above the sandbanks from Den Helder to the Dollard at low tide. The seals have been filmed with a high speed High Definition video camera, allowing the images to be studied carefully. The number of newly born seals was also counted.
In June, during the birthing season, 850 seal babies were seen. In the meantime, the SRRC has already got 125 of them (seals who have lost their mother) in rehabilitation.
Meanwhile, the first lungworm patients have been brought to the SRRC. The dramatic increase in the number of seals that are unable to outgrow this ‘first-year’ parasite attack, due to a badly functioning immune system, is worrying.
08-17-2010 Source: SRRC Lenie 't Hart
