2023-07-02 12:02:00
In Ostend, the seals are back. There, since the covid and the confinements, the seals have got into the habit of coming to rest on the beach. Co-habitation with humans must be managed with a certain subtlety…
In Ostend, it is not uncommon to come face to face with seals. Marine mammals, reassured by the calm and the low human presence during the first confinement, have taken up their habits on the beaches. Tourists, amazed, observe one of them lounging on his private beach… “We came to Ostend to see the seals“, says this curious. “And we are lucky to see one, just behind us, it’s the first time. It’s magnificent, it’s very moving.”
Another friend of animals, she admits that she might pass “the day watching it”. “I savor… It is truly a pleasure for the eyes and for the heart.”
Further on, a tourist admires the sight of the animal playing but also the work of the municipality. “It’s spectacular to be able to see a small animal like that, plus I think what they’ve done to protect it is very good.” The area is effectively cordoned off to signify that it is reserved for seals. To keep them quiet, the public is asked to keep 30 meters away from wild animals and dogs are asked to be kept on a leash.
Volunteers walk the beach and carefully observe the behavior of walkers. “They are also wild animals that can attack”recalls Inge De Bruycker, founder of the North Seal team.
Over the past 20 years, the Royal Institute of Natural Sciences has noted that the number of seals in the country is increasing. In 2022, 54 dead seals were washed up on the beach. This is twice less than in 2021.
ostend seals
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