Harbour seals and pups

Contrary to popular belief it is not common for a very young seal pup to be left alone here on Vancouver Island. Generally the mother seal will remain with the pup until the pup is strong enough to accompany her in the water. A young Harbour Seal Pup alone SHOULD ALWAYS be considered an abnormal situation. Please observe carefully, from a distance, preferably with binoculars. Unless there is obvious injury, or other reason for concern continue this observation for at least an hour - on the off chance Mama is out feeding, or was scared off for some reason she will certainly not return if there is human/animal activity around her pup. If at any time you feel there is reason to be concerned contact a Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre that knows seal pups, preferably a Marine Mammal Facility. DO NOT CLOSELY APPROACH THE PUP, without first seeking specific instructions, their bite can be very severe.

Potential Reasons for Concern

A healthy seal is very plump, and roly poly, with the appearance of a 'stuffed sausage' - no neck or waist should be visable, simply a gentle curve from nose to tail. A narrowing between the head and body or a narrow, thin, concave or 'sunken' look to the stomach is almost certainly an emergency situation. As is the sight of 'rolls' of skin on the chest/belly - like it's wearing a sweater six sizes too large - this indicates how much weight it has already lost, a lot! Seek help immediately, by phone contact a Marine Mammal or Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre.

A normal pup will be silvery/grey with darker spots (but do range from silver to almost black and everything in between!). A pup with fur that is partially or fully white/off white is (at least to some degree) premature. This is highly probable cause for concern. Seek help as soon as possible, contact a Marine Mammal or Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre by phone for further information.

A very young pup (up to 7-10 days) will have its umbilical cord still attached. A pup alone at this age is considered highly probable cause for concern. Seek help as soon as possible, contact a Marine Mammal or Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre by phone for further information.

A healthy seal will not display nasal discharge, bleeding/open wounds or irregular breathing. This is a probable, but not definite, cause for concern. Follow up with a Marine Mammal or Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre for further information.

DO NOT CHASE, FORCE OR TAKE ANY SEA MAMMAL OFF THE BEACH, INTO THE OCEAN. If it wanted to be in the water it would have gone there itself. Every year we deal with pups that were literally 'drowned' by well-meaning people.