A popular annual livestream of Finland's rare Baltic ringed seals made a return on Wednesday, although organisers warned this year's broadcast may be the last.
The webcast — called Norppalive after the Finnish name for the seals — is hosted by the Finnish branch of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and can be viewed here.
The camera is located along the coast of Finland's Archipelago Sea, and aims to capture the seals during their moulting — or fur-shedding — period, which lasts until the end of May.
Unlike their distant, camera-shy cousins in the Saimaa lake region — who are also the subject of a livestream — the Baltic ringed seals tend to gather on rocks more frequently.
"The Norppalive stream from the Archipelago Sea offers a view of the region's nature during springtime, and at the same time improves awareness of the Baltic Sea ringed seals," WWF program director Petteri Tolvanen said in a press release.
WWF hosts the livestream in conjunction with the Turku University of Applied Sciences, which keeps an eye on the broadcasts to collect valuable information about the species.
The livestream's popularity has helped raise awareness of the plight of the ringed seals and also aided conservation efforts.
Last year's livestream attracted over half a million views, according to the WWF, but the group noted that this year may mark the last time the livestream is provided as the project is set to come to an end.
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