Zoo Study Characterizes Harbour Seal Mother-Pup Aquatic and Onshore Interactions in Captivity

Harbour seals (Phoca vitulina) are unique among northern phocids, giving birth to precocial pups that are immediately aquatically capable, having already shed their lanugo. In the wild, mother-pup pairs spend over 60% of their time in water, engaging in coordinated movements and frequent body contact within intertidal zones. While wild seals utilize both shore-based haul-out sites for rest and social interaction, and subtidal seas for foraging, captive environments typically mimic only the intertidal and onshore nursery habitats. Understanding how captive environments influence these critical early behaviors is essential for animal welfare and conservation.

This observational study aimed to characterize the behavior of Harbour Seal mother-pup pairs within a zoo setting. Researchers focused on documenting aquatic activity, local movement patterns, mother-pup coordination, and social interactions. The study specifically examined how the captive environment, featuring haul-out areas adjacent to shallow pools, influenced behaviors such as pup following, riding on the mother's back, and suckling patterns. The methodology involved direct observation of pairs to describe their time allocation between water and land, and the nature of their interactions in both domains.

The provided text is the introduction to the study and does not contain specific findings or quantitative results from the research itself. It outlines the known behaviors of wild Harbour Seal mother-pup pairs, such as pups being precocial and aquatically capable immediately after birth, and pairs spending over 60% of their time in the water in the wild. Wild aquatic activity is characterized by local movement within the intertidal area, coordinated mother-pup movement, strong pup following responses, and frequent body contact. Suckling typically occurs at the water's edge before hauling out. The study's objective was to observe if these behaviors are replicated or altered in a captive zoo environment designed to mimic natural intertidal and onshore nursery habitats.