looduskalender.ee

 

The seal mum in the photo and video feeds her just over a week old pup: in the mornings a little before 11 o’clock when the camera starts, a second time after 3 o’clock. The feeding lasts about 10 minutes; after that they enjoy some pleasant time together. The seal babies get antibodies from the mother’s milk that develop their immune system.

 

Grey seals use islets for giving birth only in the absence of sea ice. The environment on the ice is nearly free from diseases and the young seals grow healthy and strong there. On shore various diseases spread due to the high population density and inexperienced seal pups can get trampled by strange adult seals; the risk of getting injured is quite high.  

 

The pup in camera view already weighs more than 25 kilos; at need they can fight eagles already when 3-4 days old.

 

 

The first WTE to arrive is probably a young eagle born last summer, the second has already some bright feathers and a yellow beak, but still dark tail feathers – it seems to be a third year youngster, a vagabond.

 

The seal pup is asleep, half an hour ago it had ”lunch”; the young seals prefer to retire, and when the seal mum close by sees that the eagles are not attacking she backs off a little – quarrels will start only between agitated animals and birds. Life experience.