THE ATLANTIC grey seal (Halichoerus Grypus) is one of Wales’ iconic species, and is attracting wildlife tourists to Pembrokeshire with the start of the seal pupping season at RSPB’s Ramsey Island reserve. 

South west Wales, which includes RSPB Ramsey Island just off the coast of St David’s in Pembrokeshire, has an estimated grey seal breeding population of 5,000 individuals, which is around 4% of the UKs population. The grey seal is one of the least common seals in the world. The male adult can grow over 2 metres and weigh up to 230kg (or around 36 stone) while the females are smaller at 1.8 metres and 150kg. They can dive up to 70 metres in search of food and can remain submerged for up to 13 minutes.

Every year between 500-700 pups are born on the reserve, with several hundred more on Skomer and around the Pembrokeshire coast path. The hope is that there will be a good number this year. Lisa Morgan RSPB warden on Ramsey said: “We had 656 born here last year and although the season looks slightly later than last year the signs are positive that we will have a similar number again in 2014″ The seals are born weighting a hefty 14 kg, just over 2 stone. But birth is the easy bit. Survival rate to adulthood is around 2 in 3.

One of the main threats to the pups’ survival are storms. Lisa said: “I always hope that the weather won’t be too stormy during the pupping season as some of the pups can get washed out to sea and then washed up on other beaches which makes it hard for the mothers to find them again”. Fortunately for hose that don’t get lost progress to independence is rapid. Lisa explains: “The milk of the females is very rich, around 60% fat which means that the pups put on an incredible 2 kg (the equivalent to two bags of sugar) of weight a day.

At 18 days old the pup has amazingly tripled its birth weight. At this stage the mothers head back out to sea leaving the pups to find their own food. They are fully independent at a very young 4 weeks old and start eating solid food. It’s a very short upbringing.” Although visitor numbers are limited on Ramsey, the grey seal is one of a number of iconic species that could help Wales hit the Welsh Assembly Government target of seeing an increase of 10% in tourism in Wales by 2020. Wildlife tourism has become an increasingly important way of attracting visitors with an increase of 10% across the world each year.

Visitor numbers to Natural Resources Wales’ Bwlch Nant yr Arian site in mid Wales before the start of red kite feeding were 30,000. But after five years of feeding, as well as opening a visitor centre, play areas and bike trails visitor numbers increased to 130,000 a year. There are multiple benefits to developing wildlife tourism. A report entitled ‘Wildlife Economy Wales’ commissioned by the then Environment Agency Wales (now NRW) with the support of the Welsh Assembly Government and the Countryside Council for Wales published in 2007, pointed out that wildlife tourism could have considerable knock on effects. Not least that increased awareness as a result of greater wildlife tourism has the potential to bring not only an increase in the number of conservation volunteers but also and most importantly an increase in actual conservation activities. So in this case an economic driver can create conservation as well as an economic benefit.

The report also rightly points out that ‘it is essential that any development of the sector will need to be managed in a way that safeguards and invests in the wildlife resource upon which it is based’. Indeed, without strict controls and codes of conduct, albeit on a voluntary basis, these activities can be detrimental to the very wildlife we are trying to promote. If wildlife tourism continues to grow as it has done over the last decade or so, and Wales can take advantage of the growing market, then we may see more habitat created, and in an ideal world more red squirrels scampering in the woodland canopies of Anglesey, ospreys swooping for fish in Machynlleth, black grouse burbling on the Berwyn and not least young seal pups being born on the spectacular rugged shoreline of Pembrokeshire. Indeed Lisa Morgan has no doubt as to the best place to seals. She said: “Ramsey for me is one of the best places in the UK to see young seal pups as the public are able to get close to them looking down on the beaches from the cliff tops without disturbing them. It’s a great sight for the public but also a real privilege for me to live with these great animals every day.” To find out more about seals and RSPB Ramsey visit the website http:// www.rspb.org.uk/ramseyisland And for the latest seal season news you can follow the island wardens on Twitter @RSPBRamsey