Dead seal on Gwithian beach. Photo: PA Wire

Conservationists have been left baffled after a large number of dead seals have been found washed up on beaches in Cornwall.

The Cornwall Wildlife Trust said during October and November 35 seals were discovered along the coastline and a further 37 have been rescued alive − twice as many as would normally be expected.

Caz Waddell, the charity’s acting marine conservation officer, said: “While bad weather will undoubtedly have been the cause of some of these strandings, the sheer number of cases has left us slightly baffled.

“We don’t yet have any answers as to why this is happening, but it shows just how important it is for people to tell us about any stranded marine animal they see.

“The more animals we can study, the more we can try to get to the bottom of what might be going on.”

Grey seals are an endangered species worldwide and around a third of the population are in British waters. Sue Sayer, from the Cornwall Seal Group, added: “Surveys by the Cornwall Seal Group have shown that overall seal numbers in Cornwall have been relatively stable over the last eight years.

“Although this may seem like good news, in many ways it is actually a worry because some of the individuals that have been stranding recently have included young adults in their prime.

At least two animals found dead in Cornwall were known to have been breeding seals

“If we are losing breeding age adults from the population the implications for future generations could be huge.

“While it is sadly quite common to find dead pups at this time of year, deaths of adult seals are more serious and we are concerned about the numbers that are dying around our coasts. “Grey seals in Cornwall are highly mobile, moving inter­nationally around the Celtic Seas.

“At least two animals found dead in Cornwall were known to have been breeding seals from the island of Skomer in West Wales − an important special area of conservation for seals. This highlights how important it is to remember the bigger picture. The large numbers of strandings occurring in Cornwall is of concern not just to us locally, but nationally as well.”

Members of the Marine Strandings Network investigates the deaths of all stranded animals in Cornwall.

Niki Clear, from the group, said: “At the moment it remains a mystery what, if anything, is the cause of this recent spike in seal strandings. Further down the line these present trends may be nothing more than anomalies and the situation may return to normal.

“It’s only by gathering information about each case that we can build up a true picture of what is happening.

“We need to collect as much information as possible from these seals - and in fact from any dead marine animal we find.”

But it is not just seals that wash up dead along the Cornish coastline. The Marine Strandings Network has also attended to over 80 strandings of dead dolphins, porpoises and whales, plus three turtles and one basking shark in the last year.