The Baikal seal or Nerpa is a species of earless seal native to Lake Baikal. It’s estimated that there are roughly 80,000-100,000 animals living on Baikal Lake.
Seal hunting is forbidden on Baikal lake. Despite illegal hunting, the species is not considered threatened. The most serious future threat may be global warming, which can affect a closed cold-water ecosystem such as Lake Baikal.
It’s not difficult to spot nerpas on Baikal lake, however, baby seals are not seen often. Recently, famous Russian photographer Alexey Trofimov managed to take a few awesome pictures of a baby nerpa on Baikal Lake. Alexey is distinguished nature photographer, who often focuses on Baikal lake and its surroundings. Visit his website, 500px.com, Flickr and Facebook for more amazing works.
