Wildlife: Seal deaths: possible cause of ‘corkscrew seals’ identified
- Localización: Veterinary Record, ISSN-e 2042-7670, Vol. 176, Nº. 12, 2015, págs. 295-295
- Idioma: inglés
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Resumen
NEW evidence has suggested that seals found dead in Scotland with unusual spiral injuries – so-called ‘corkscrew seals’ – died following predation by adult grey seals. It had previously been thought that the injuries were caused by ship propellers.
In a press release last month, the Scottish Government explained that, between 2009 and October 2014, 86 seal carcases were found in Scotland with spiral injuries, the cause of which was unknown. Marine Scotland, the directorate of the Scottish Government with responsibility for the integrated management of Scotland's seas, commissioned the Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) at the University of St Andrews to investigate possible causes. Until late last year, investigations suggested that certain types of ship propeller might have been responsible for the injuries seen, and scale model tests appeared to confirm this. As a result, the SMRU received funding from Marine Scotland to tag a number of grey seals in the Firth of Forth to examine potential interactions with shipping and, if possible, to see if any suffered the type of spiral injuries recorded as a result. It was during the course of this work that researchers observed a grey seal killing five young seals, leaving them with the distinctive spiral injuries.
