BBC Our Lives episode criticised by the Seal Alliance for ‘bad practice’
The group said it was ‘rather surprised’ to see a diver ‘touching a seal in the water and allowing themselves to be kissed’ by it.
An episode of BBC programme Our Lives has been criticised by the Seal Alliance for “very bad practice”.
The association, which is made up of 15 regional marine wildlife groups, said in a letter to the corporation that it was “rather surprised” to see GP Ben Burville “touching a seal in the water and allowing themselves to be kissed” by it, in publicity footage.
The eighth series of the show, which explores the lives of ordinary people across all four nations in the UK, includes an episode called The Seal Whisperer, focused around Burville, who has been diving with the Farne Islands seals for more than 20 years.
The letter, written on behalf of all members of the Seal Alliance Executive, said: “People should never be encouraged to seek encounters with wild seals.”
It added: “The notion that seals are ‘friendly’ is a misconception which has resulted in wild seals facing chronic disturbance and changed natural behaviour in many locations.”
At the beginning of the programme, Burville describes how he watches the seals and says: “When I’m studying seals I never disturb or approach them, I just let them come to me.
“The public should never approach or disturb a seal for your safety and theirs.”
The Seal Alliance, however, has said it was “a little surprised” to see a programme where a diver is seen “effectively taking close-up selfies under water.”
The programme, which is on BBC iPlayer and will air on BBC One at 7.30pm on Friday, shows footage of the seals, including scenes of a young seal pup being rescued by the British Divers Marine Life Rescue team.
The letter also said that “promoting this sort of behaviour, while not intentionally, will inevitably undermine much of the hard work being done by multiple expert organisations and government agencies across the UK to change perceptions to protect seals from escalating disturbance.”
It added: “For the above reasons we would ask the BBC to consider if this particular episode of Our Lives is appropriate broadcast material to air?
“While intriguing, it highlights very bad practice, and could potentially increase the risk to both humans and seals.”
The letter continued: “We hope the BBC would act as a positive role model for good practice behaviour and truly support all the dedication and hard work which goes into protecting one of our most iconic and globally rare wild animals.
“We are very sorry to raise this issue, which we understand will not likely be welcome news, especially as this episode has already been publicised.
“But we feel a responsibility to make sure that you are fully aware of the implications, risks and negative impact posed by this kind of footage and behaviour before the episode is aired.”
A BBC spokesperson said: “The documentary highlights issues that are crucial to the future of the seal population and all interactions are for research, observing seal behaviour and studying seals.
“The film does not show Ben Burville shaking flippers with seals. In the film, it is made clear that the public should not approach, disturb or touch seals.
“Ben is a respected expert on seals, with over 20 years experience of capturing and studying seal behaviour.
“He is one of only a handful of researchers who study seal behaviour under water and has had papers published.
“He is a visiting researcher at Newcastle University, and sits on the Farne Islands advisory committee.”
The national governing body for scuba diving, the British Sub-Aqua Club (BSAC), says divers should “not initiate interactions” with seals and adds that “touching seals or encouraging them to investigate you with their mouths or flippers is a bad idea”.
