As you’re heading to Washington’s beaches this summer, keep an eye out for harbor seals.
Experts say we are in “stranding season”. This means seal pups are being abandoned by their mothers on beaches because people and pets get too close. When they get close, experts say the mother gets spooked and won’t come back to the baby.
SeaLife Response, Rehabilitation, and Research (SR3) in Des Moines currently has four baby seals in their care. They are severely underweight, and some of them are fighting pneumonia.
Executive Director Casey McLean tells us none of them are more than two weeks old. They were abandoned just days after being born.
She said the four seals all came from the Washington Coast. Later in the summer, more patients will start coming in from the Puget Sound area as well.
“A lot of times you’ll find baby alone on the beach,” McLean said. “Mom goes off to forage, not for very long, they’re quite close and watching, but they won’t come back if there’s people or pets anywhere in sight.”
Right now, the four seals need around-the-clock care. They are fed a special nourishing blend up to five times a day in order to get the amount of food that will make them healthy and strong again.
“These babies should be born at 20 pounds, but a lot of times they’re coming in to rehab 10 pounds or less,” McLean said.
She said baby seals usually stay in their care for 2-3 months, which gives them time to double in size.
You can do your part to prevent abandonment simply by giving seals space when laying on the beaches.
“If you are noticing they are looking up and looking at you or seem to startle them, you’re definitely too close,” McLean said.
However, if you do notice a seal that seems stranded, don’t wait to do something about it.
“If you can see their hip bones or their spine or they’re just not reacting to people or animals, you should call the experts to say they need help,” McLean said.
She says they will see around 60 seal pups come into their care after being stranded on Washington’s beaches, but hopes people will do their part in staying away and not adding to that number.
To report a stranded seal or learn more about when a seal may be in danger, click here.
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