Six grey seals who survived an illegal cull on the Blasket Islands are the subject of a moving new documentary film, writes Sharon Ní Chonchúir
Peace reigns on the Blasket Islands. On a remote and rocky beach, a mother strokes her pup with her flipper, encouraging him to feed. In the water, a young seal learns the rudiments of swimming from his increasingly impatient mother. Others loll languidly in the sunshine.
It's a typical day in the life of the grey seal - the world's first mammal to be protected by modern legislation. The Blasket Islands are one of the few safe havens for grey seals in Ireland. The islands' human inhabitants may have been forced to leave in 1953 but, since their departure, the seals have thrived. The sheltered coves and rough terrain offer protection from predators and the clear waters a bountiful supply of food.
Seals are to be found on the islands throughout the year but, from September to December, they are home to one of our most important breeding colonies.
Two years ago, this serene life was shattered. In clear defiance of Irish and EU law protecting this endangered species, 60 seals - mostly pups - were shot, bludgeoned and garrotted. The slaughter sent shock waves around the world.
Jacquie Cozens, a British film-maker who was living in nearby Dingle, was the first to discover the carnage. She and her partner, Neal Clayton, sailed to the islands to take pictures for a film she planned to make about local marine life.
"What we found shocked me beyond belief," she recalls, with a visible shudder. "It wasn't hunting. It wasn't culling. It was random, brutal and tragic slaughter."
The discovery and its frenzied media aftermath changed the focus of Cozens's film. She immediately decided to make a film about the threats posed to the Irish grey seal. Cozens spent the next two years filming the seals, returning to the islands frequently in order to capture significant stages in the life of the colony.
The resulting film, Grey Seals: Life on the Edge, received its Irish premiere in the Great Blasket Centre in Dunquin on Wednesday. The wide-ranging film focuses primarily on the six pups who survived the slaughter. Viewers learn more about seals through the pups' experiences as they overcome the many challenges to their survival.
Cozens built up a relationship with the seals, to the extent that she named each of the pups. We are introduced to Loner - always at the furthest end of the beach, as far from the others as can be. Grumpy, true to character, growls at the camera. Fat boy, Rocky and twins Charlie and Craig; each has a story to tell.
As a counterpoint to this light-hearted portrayal, the film also includes graphic footage of bloodied seal carcasses strewn along the beaches. This was the scene on the islands in November 2004.
SCIENTISTS, WILDLIFE RANGERS and campaigners contribute to the film, offering opinions about how best to protect seals from further decline and future attacks.
Pat Foley of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) emphasises habitat surveillance. Surveillance has been increased since 2004 but resources are limited. NPWS doesn't have a boat of its own and its rangers are obliged to ask locals to bring them to the islands.
Marine biologist Dr Oliver O'Cadhla was involved in the autopsies that followed the slaughter and with the subsequent national seal census ordered by the Government. He empathised with the fishermen who are widely believed to be responsible for the killings. "Seals won't turn away from a free meal, that's for sure," he says. "I've heard reports from fishermen that up to 50 per cent of their catch can be damaged by seals. That sort of loss to their livelihoods at a time when fishing is an increasingly difficult business can't be easy to accept."
Nevertheless, he does not support the fishermen's call for a cull. "From what we have seen in our census, the seal population is healthy but not enormous. There is no justifiable reason for a cull."
Keen to deter people from supporting the illegal killing of endangered seals, Cozens's film suggests alternatives. She is particularly interested in the possibilities offered by eco-tourism.
"Wildlife is a huge potential source of revenue - here in Dingle and all over the country," she says. "Dingle has successfully marketed one single solitary dolphin. Imagine what it could do with an entire seal colony?"
The reaction from the local audience at Wednesday's premiere was overwhelmingly positive.
"It's a very worthwhile film," says Catherine Merrigan. "I'm delighted someone has finally done something to raise awareness of these issues. I hope it gets the exposure it deserves."
Abigail Joffe and her son Rowan agree: "It's powerful and moving," says Abigail. "Jacquie and her film are going to have such a ripple effect. People are bound to be inspired."
Rowan admits that he was upset to see the dead seals but he was very taken with the surviving seal pups, particularly the twins Charlie and Craig.
Just the response Cozens was hoping for. "I want audiences to go away with an altered perception," she says. "Seals are not pests. They are beautiful creatures who deserve our protection."
Grey Seals: Life on the Edge has been shown at film festivals in Europe and won an award for best environmental documentary at the Matsalu Festival in Estonia. It will be shown on RTÉ television in the New Year