A colony of scared seals hurried back into the sea off Iceland's north coast after a drone hovered over them.

Footage from June 27 shows the herd of seals lying on a beach when a drone startles the animals.

The filmer told Newsflare: "A 'no drones' sign was clearly posted in the parking lot at the start of the hiking path.

"Although it is not strictly illegal to fly a drone in an area where a 'no drones' sign has been posted, according to Icelandic law, drone-owners are required to make sure that no harm comes to animals from their drone flights.

"According to the local land-owner, when seals panic like this and rush into the sea, seal cubs can get separated from their mothers and are unable to find them again."

A large colony of seals was enjoying a late summer evening in North-West Iceland when a tourist-operated drone was flown very close to them, panicking them so they rushed past each other to get to the safety of the sea.
This is considered one of the best spots in the country to watch seals in their natural habitat and is a protected area. Usually it takes a bit of a hike to get to this particular seal watching area, but drones can of course be launched from a much easier-to-access area, as was the case here.

A "no drones" sign was clearly posted in the parking lot at the start of the hiking path. Although it is not strictly illegal to fly a drone in an area where a "no drones" signs has been posted, according to Icelandic law, drone-owners are required to make sure that no harm comes to animals from their drone flights. According to the local land-owner, when seals panic like this and rush into the sea, seal cubs can get separated from their mothers and are unable to find them again.