image shows a surviving mother who remained behind to look after her baby. Credit: RSPB
Image shows a surviving mother who remained behind to look after her baby.

An estimated 75% of the seal pup population on Ramsey Island has been killed after ex-hurricane Ophelia.

The RSPB discovered dozens of the dead pups after visiting the island off the Pembrokeshire coast following the vicious weather.

Data collected by the organisation on the 14th of October recorded 120 pups on their nine 'study beaches' prior to the storm. Only 31 were recorded when they returned.

This picture shows one of the few surviving seal pups on the island.
© RSPBThis picture shows one of the few surviving seal pups on the island.
The white coated pups were all under the age of three weeks and had not been weaned from their mothers.

The RSPB says many of the remaining seals appear to have been orphaned with their mothers taking the decision to save themselves and abandon them.

Ramsey is the largest pupping site for grey seals in south west Britain with between 500-700 pups born between August and November each year.

The RSPB says Ophelia has had a devastating impact on their seal numbers and shared a video of the severity of waves on the island.