Leave those darling seal pups alone
Experts say it's better to monitor the seagoing mammals from a distance

Louise Dickson
Times Colonist
July 21, 2005

Their mewling cries can melt a human heart.

Their soft brown eyes say, "Pick me up. Care for me."

But don't.

"Just leave seal pups alone," advises fisheries officer Larry Paike. "I've often attended calls where people think these animals are in distress. They're cute. They have big eyes. They try to cuddle up to you. So of course, the maternal instinct kicks in and people think they have to take care of them."

They often end up doing more harm than good, however. This year, fisheries officers and staff at the Wild Animal Rehabilitation Centre (ARC) in Metchosin have been flooded with calls from people worried about pups "abandoned" on local beaches. Many of those pups are simply waiting for their mothers to return from hunting.

On Tuesday, a man phoned Wild ARC after finding two pups on a beach in Sidney and taking them home.

"One of our staff said, 'Bring the seals to us right away or put them back where you found them,' " said wildlife rehabilitator Shelanne Bulford. "He must have brought them back because we got another call first thing this morning from someone saying there were two seal pups far away from the water, not looking good."

Two fisheries officers decided the pups weren't doing well. By 2 p.m., the animals were on a West Coast Air flight, winging their way to the seal pup recovery program at the Vancouver Aquarium.

"It's really depressing," said Bulford. "It's a tough way to be raised without your mom. It's bad. They should be raised in the wild."

Three weeks ago, fisheries officers had to force their way through a crowd of about 25 people on the beach at the bottom of Menzies Street, said Paike.

"A family from out of town had picked up the baby seal and were taking pictures with it. Our officers had to rescue the animals," he said with a sigh. "People won't just leave them alone."

Last year, a woman picked up a pup on the beach, fed it cow's milk, then brought it back to the beach and left it. Another woman kept a baby seal overnight in her bathtub.

Bulford suspects the two seals now on their way to Vancouver were abandoned, which is some comfort. One, in particular, appeared to be undernourished.

Wildlife experts advise that anyone concerned about a baby seal should leave it alone and monitor the animal from a distance.

If the pup stays put longer than 24 hours and looks undernourished, or is in an area heavily populated with people and dogs, call Fisheries and Oceans Canada. Crying is normal behaviour for pups trying to make contact with their mothers, said Paike.

Peter Ross, a research scientist with DFO's Institute of Ocean Sciences, said the number of seal pups on local beaches has increased because the seal population is growing.

B.C. is home to about 100,000 harbour seals, versus 12,000 in 1972 when there was a cull.

"When there are lots of animals, you're going to see perhaps more seals in distress on the beach," said Ross. "The animals are not finding quite as much food and there are more orphans."

Boaters who like to watch seals may also inadvertently be adding to the numbers of abandoned pups.

Disturbed seals trundle into the water. Pups get wet, and their nursing is interrupted. Sometimes mothers and pups get separated and the pups get lost.

"Every time they go up and say 'cute little seals' and they go into the water, it's kind of exciting. But they're contributing to a loss of heat and energy and these pups may be nursing."