The RSPCA has launched an urgent investigation after the bodies of five grey seals were found on a beach in the North East of England. Three of them had been beheaded.
The seals were spotted by a woman who was walking her dog on the beach at Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, after her pet ran up to the carcasses.
The seals were all juveniles. One was a few weeks old and the oldest was no more than a year.
There are numerous colonies of seals in the area and they are frequently spotted on the north-west coast below the Farne Islands where many live.
However, one of the seals was tagged and the charity has found that the group was part of a study into the survival and reproductive success of seals being carried out by the Sea Mammal Research Unit in St Andrews, Fife.
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What has shocked the animal welfare officers is that the cuts on the seals’ necks are clean, suggesting that their heads, which were not on the beach, were severed deliberately.
Other theories are that the seals became tangled with fishing equipment or were savaged by a predator such as a killer whale.
But experts suggest their heads would not have been so accurately removed and in any event it is rare for a killer whale to be in that area — most sightings around the UK coast have been to the west of the Hebrides.
It is also possible that the youngest seal pup, which still had the white coat in which it was born, was being weaned by its mother and had not yet learnt to swim or been at sea.
Mark Gent, the RSPCA’s acting chief inspector, said: “Obviously this was a very upsetting thing to come across and has caused a lot of distress to the person who found them.
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“These were very young animals — one of them was what’s often described as as ‘a white coat’ and was just a few weeks old. Clearly they haven’t died of natural causes and we are very concerned.”
If a culprit is identifed he or she will face prosecution in the magistrates’ court and a maximum fine of £2,500.
The RSPCA is appealing for anyone who may have any information to contact them on 0300.1234.999.
Seals are protected under the Conservation of Seals Act 1970 and the Conservation(Natural Habitats Regulations) 1994.