Phillip Island Nature Parks need your help. The team is currently trying to learn as much as possible about the Australian fur seals that congregate around Phillip Island. The more they learn about the seals, the better they can manage and protect local marine life (including the adorable penguin colonies).
So how can you help? You can sign up to be a seal spotter at home!
First of all, no, you don’t need to be located near the ocean to spot these seals. The Seal Spotter program can be done from home – so it’s perfect for us now we’re all isolating in our houses.
If you have a computer, you’ll be able to count the seals in images captured by a drone. The drone is able to capture images of remote colonies from the air, that way scientists are able to monitor them without causing any disruption to their daily routines.
Seal spotters are given static images of seals. All you need to do is click on all the seals you see and that data is fed back to the Nature Parks scientists. With the information you’ve provided them, these scientists will now be able to analyse the seal population data faster and more accurately.
Watch the video below to get the gist of what you’ll be doing and then head to the website to sign up.