WHERE THE SEALS SING

"A recently born seal pup. It's mother, resting a few meters away, is ignoring it, pebble and kelp surrounds also smeared with blood. Another few meters further on, a mob of grey black-backed gulls attacks the afterbirth, pulling it out of its steak-like shape into a stringier form, gorging torn off scarlet strands, then tug-of-warring with the remains. The pup appears to make an attempt towards its mother, but only manages to flop on to its side, exposing a pink inch of umbilical cord worming from its belly fur... Once familiar with its smell and henceforth assured of recognising it, she strokes its head with her clawed front flipper. Willing her on, I watch her finally assume a feeding position..." There are fewer grey seals in the world that endangered African elephants, and the British Isles host almost half of this global population. Every year, these charismatic animals with their expressive eyes, and whiskers more sensitive than our fingertips, haul out on our shores to breed and raise their pups. Susan Richardson has always been entranced by seals. They comforted her as an anxious child and brought joy when she began to spread her wings as a writer and helped her find her way after the loss of her mother. Now she sets out to trace the rhythm of their lives, travelling the coast clockwise from Cornwall to Norfolk, in line with the autumn pupping season. She explores the myths surrounding seals, from the shape-shifting selkie skins to the claims that they decimate fish populations, and she discovered that the greatest dangers they face come from humankind. Her book is a lyrical tale of memory, rescue and rehabilitation, and the recurring theme is the human-seal connection. She sees the life of the sea as a mirror of ourselves and vice versa. 376 pages.