A Cornwall-based charity, the Seal Research Trust, has backed a campaign by the UK Seal Alliance calling for stronger legal protection for seals in England, urging that deliberately disturbing them be made an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act. Trust founder Sue Sayers said resting seals are regularly disturbed by people, causing stress, sleep deprivation, panic and sometimes serious injury as animals stampede across beaches or flee into the sea. Defra responded that existing legislation already makes it an offence to take, injure, capture or kill a seal, though campaigners argue this does not adequately cover disturbance itself.

The charity warned of a "hidden cost" to repeated disturbance, saying it can weaken seals' immune systems, disrupt hormone levels and hinder recovery between feeding trips. Sayers also described this year's pup season as one of the worst on record, with more than half of recorded pups found dead or dying, and noted pups being born in every month of the year for the first time, which she linked to climate change affecting breeding patterns. The trust advises staying at least 100m away from seals, not sharing their location on social media, and never feeding or moving them; the Give Seals Space campaign, launched by the UK Seal Alliance in May, also highlights risks from public interference, other animals and drones.