For many of us, seeing a rare or unusual animal in the wild is one of the fascinating and exciting experiences we could hope for. Unfortunately, there are some people out there who apparently do not feel this way, and who - instead - view such creatures as something to taunt or torture.
Last week, for example, St. Mary's Seal Watch, a UK-based Facebook page dedicated to the conservation and protection of seals and other wildlife in the North East of England, posted some disturbing footage of tourists deliberately throwing rocks at a group of the animals.
"This malicious act was carried out on St. Mary's Island Nature Reserve and seen from the mainland on Saturday 9th June at around 9.00pm," the page said. "We have had other visitors saying they have witnessed the same thing over this season."
The page then went on to say that they did not intend to seek out the individuals responsible, but rather they wanted to show others that these sort of actions are totally unacceptable.
"This footage is not to name and shame the individuals but to highlight some of the problems the wildlife faces on the reserve and the stark contrast between the recent Springwatch clip of the island in all its majestic glory and the reality for most of the wildlife here which is subjected to repeated disturbance rarely finding the tranquillity shown in the beautiful Springwatch footage.
"The behaviour in this clip is abhorrent, however the most prolific disturbance source to all the wildlife is those carrying out recreational activities on the wildlife sensitive areas of the island."
The original post has now been viewed almost 100,000 times on Facebook, with many people weighing in to say that those responsible for the abuse should be named, shamed, and punished. However, St. Mary's Seal Watch continues to protect their identity, and simply asks that others do not engage in the same behaviour.
