Dead white coat pup washes up.

Seal pups have very high mortality rates up to between 25% and 55%, so it not surprising to find the occasional dead one washed up on the beach.

Sadly this one was found in the mouth of a shallow cave on Godrevy Beach at the end of last week. It was collected by the local authority and taken to St Ives where it was examined by Dave and Dan Jarvis who created a strandings record about it for the Cornwall Wildife Trust. The body of the white coat was virtually intact and suggested that it could be up to a week old. The fur from its face and eyes had been removed, presumably from scavenging by other marine creatures.

If you spot a dead seal, it is very important that you report it on the Cornwall Wildlife Trust's Strandings Hotline on 0845 201 2626. A volunteer will go out and examine the seal, take measurements and make a record of the seal's death. In this way we can monitor the seal population and its potential interactions with humans.