BEHAVIOURAL RESEARCH IN THE DOLLARD

The research project in the Dollard started in 2015. Every day at high tide, seal mothers gather with their pups at the bottom of the dike in the Dollard. This is where they come to rest, eat and sunbathe. Which makes it a perfect research location. At a great distance, behind the observation wall and in utmost peace and quiet, our marine biologists Beatriz Rapado-Tamarit (Bea) and Margarita Méndez Aróstegui (Marga) and their team study the behaviour of seal mothers and pups in the wild every year.

De resultaten geven ons inzicht in hoe de wilde zeehonden zich gedragen. Maar ook hoe het ecosysteem, die wij als mens met de zeehonden delen, eraan toe is. En meer en meer hoe we kunnen voorkomen dat zeehonden in de problemen komen. Al onze resultaten delen we dan weer met onze collega’s over de hele wereld, zodat het ook ten goede komt aan zeehonden en de zee op andere plekken. 

Een van de belangrijkste dingen die we te weten zijn gekomen is hoe lang een zeehondenpup alleen wordt gelaten door zijn moeder. Deze resultaten hebben direct invloed gehad op onze manier van werken. Zo hebben de onderzoeksresultaten er mede toe geleid dat er vandaag de dag landelijk gewerkt wordt met seal guards and strict observation rules are in place nationwide today - and pups are taken in less often. A fantastic development!

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Research topic: seal mothers don't let just their own pup suckle

"Hello, I'm Bea! I'm from Spain, where I studied Evolutionary Biology and Systematics. As a child, I always wanted to work with animals, and dreamed of being able to talk to animals. Later, I became very interested in animal behaviour. Now I am a behavioural scientist and working on my PhD at the University of Groningen."

Research topic: is a seal pup on their own really an orphan?

"Hello, my name is Marga! I am originally from the south of Spain. In Barcelona, I studied Biodiversity and Nature Conservation. Nowadays I'm doing a PhD at the University of Groningen. I have always wanted to work with marine mammals and I really like wildlife centres. We don't have seals in Spain, so I wanted to learn more about them here."

Bea and Marga do not work on their own. They get help from volunteers every year. The volunteers come from all over the world, often with previous experience in the field of ecology or veterinary medicine. For example, they study Marine Biology or are working in a wildlife centre. Helping out during the Dollard research offers them a new experience and a different way of working. Without them, this research would not be possible.