Call to monitor shoreline
This rare Sei whale was stranded on Druridge Bay last autumn
Northumberland Wildlife Trust is calling on members of the public to keep their eyes peeled for stranded or dead animals on local beaches.
Earlier in the spring, the wildlife charity received reports from the public of six porpoises being stranded at various locations and has started receiving calls regarding a number of stranded seals, included young seals.
Should anybody find either a stranded or dead seal, whale, dolphin or porpoise on any of the region’s beaches, it would be really helpful if they could contact Steve Lowe, Head of Conservation at the Trust on: 0191 2846884 or via email: steve.lowe@northwt.org.uk with the exact location, and, if possible, a digital photo of the animal.
Steve Lowe, Head of Conservation at Northumberland Wildlife Trust said:
“This sounds like a particularly odd and, in the case of dead animals, a grisly request, but any sightings would really help us with our marine conservation work as they will help us establish what factors have the greatest impact upon populations. Any sightings will then be forwarded to CSIP (UK Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme) for logging on its national database.
“Northumberland is lucky to host such wonderful species of marine animals, which in turn, attract many tourists to the area. This county has a huge role to play in conserving these wonderful animals and it’s important that we know what is affecting them in both positive and negative ways”.
