Angus Council is to finally take action after seal carcases were left rotting on a beach for three weeks.
The move comes after Jules Anderson of Inverkeilor hit out at the delay in collecting the two decaying carcases from the popular beauty spot. She said she reported the dead seals on the beach at Lunan Bay three weeks ago but they have still to be collected.
The corpses remain dumped in the sand, including one bloody seal that has lost its head. They are stuck in the sand at the south end of a beauty spot often described as the jewel in the crown of Angus.
Ms Anderson said there is also an indication from the bodies that they might be the victim of a shooting. However, she is more concerned about the health and safety risk to the public.
The council told The Courier it had been trying to establish whether it is its responsibility. However, it now plans to uplift the seals, possibly as early as today.
“I’ve had enough and we need to get these carcases off the beach,” Ms Anderson said. “Whether they have been shot or not is irrelevant there are dead rotting carcases on the beach and they are becoming a health hazard.”
Seal carcases carry harmful micro-bacteria such as the influenza virus, pinworms and TB all transferable to humans. They present all sorts of safety hazards and there is a risk of bacterial infection from touching or swimming in the waters near dead marine animals.
“I phoned the ACCESS line three weeks ago and nothing has been done,” Ms Anderson added. “I called again last week and said the seals were still on the beach and rotting even more. The council told me it was in hand and they were dealing with it.
“They are still there so I called again and was told the reason they had not been moved was because it was a private beach. It is a public beach and I told the gentleman that this was not correct. I’ve been told they don’t have a digger anymore but are hiding behind the fact by saying it’s a private beach.”
A spokeswoman for the council said, “We have been trying to establish if the location of the dead seals brings them under council responsibility for disposal. However, in order to resolve the situation as quickly as possible we plan to uplift the seals, hopefully by tomorrow (Wednesday) morning, depending on the tides and manpower/machinery available.”
The move comes just a few months after the council’s decision not to remove the decaying carcase of a grey seal from a beach area in Monifieth, saying the seal’s position made it too difficult to move.
The seal was believed to have washed ashore and ended up on a narrow strip of land next to where the Dighty Water runs into the Tay. The authority said the resting place is “inaccessible” and it was relying on “nature to take its course.”
Laws banning the killing of seals in Scotland without a licence came into force earlier this year. The legislation, part of the Marine (Scotland) Act passed by Holyrood last year, is aimed at regulating seal shooting and protecting animal welfare.
It makes it an offence to kill or injure a seal, except under licence, and carries a penalty of up to six months’ imprisonment or a heavy fine. A new licensing system and seal conservation areas around Scotland have also been introduced.