Record number of grey seal pups born at Orford Ness on Suffolk coast
The amount has nearly doubled
A record number of grey seal pups have been born at Orford Ness, a remote shingle spit on the Suffolk coast once used as a military weapons testing site.
Conservationists counted around 430 pups during this year’s pupping season, almost double the 228 recorded last year, according to the National Trust.
The charity said the colony has grown steadily since approximately 200 adult seals first arrived in 2021, when visitor access to the site was significantly reduced following an extended closure during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Annual pup numbers have increased each year since, with 25 recorded in the 2021–22 season, rising to 66 in 2022–23, 133 in 2023–24 and 228 last year.
It is believed the seals initially migrated from established colonies in Norfolk, including Blakeney and Horsey, and are now considered Suffolk’s first breeding grey seal colony.
‘Highest numbers we’ve seen’
Matt Wilson, countryside manager for the National Trust’s Suffolk and Essex coast portfolio, said the latest figures were encouraging.
“This year, our peak counts have included 803 adults and 430 pups, which is by far the highest numbers we've seen since the grey seals' arrival in 2021,” he said.
“We're now in the fifth consecutive year of successful breeding at Orford Ness, which means that some of the adults having pups this year would have also been born here in 2021 and 2022.
“It's a good sign that the habitats are healthy, with enough fish stocks to keep them sustained throughout the winter, and the shingle ridge providing shelter from storms.”
Orford Ness closes to visitors from late October until spring, a period that coincides with the seal pupping season.
Mr Wilson said reduced human disturbance is likely to have supported the colony’s development.
“That means the likelihood of human disturbance is greatly reduced, which no doubt adds to their overall health and wellbeing and has so far helped them to thrive,” he added.
Monitoring the growing colony
Tom Allen, a ranger at Orford Ness, said tracking the population has become more challenging as numbers increase.
“Seals are wild animals and therefore move around, which occasionally means we're unable to even get to some of their locations without the risk of disturbing them,” he said.
“We use a combination of telescopes and binoculars to help, which allows us to monitor the size and health of the colony from a safe distance, but as the colony gets bigger, it's likely that our counts will become estimates rather than final numbers.”
Female grey seals, known as cows, typically return to the same site each year to give birth.
Newborn pups weigh around 13 kilograms and are covered in thick white fur to help keep them warm. After roughly three weeks, they shed their coat to reveal waterproof grey fur beneath.
During that time, pups feed up to six times a day and can triple their birth weight before being weaned.