Harbour Seal Pup

http://MarineMammalCenter.org

Yesterday we found a harbour seal pup on the beach in Marin County, CA.

She was abandoned by her mom.

:(

We called the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, and they came and picked her up. They said they are going to fatten her up, teach her to fish and release her back to the wild.

They cover most of northern California:
http://MarineMammalCenter.org

*Update* She died at the Marine Mammal Center on June 13th. She was a little too skinny.

BTW, getting this close to her was not a good idea. If you find a seal pup, you are supposed to give it a wide berth so that the mother can come back to get it.

Oops.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• harbor
• seal
• pup
• kawaii

[EricJosephChandler]

You are never supposed to approach them. They get abandoned if humans go near them. People actually take them and bring them to the Coast Guard all the time thinking they are abandoned. The mother hunts with the baby on shore.

[CBlargh]

@EricJosephChandler

True! Normally the pup stays on shore whilst the mother hunts, and the young man in this clip would have been too close if this had been the case.

This particular pup was abandoned, however, and the way you can tell is that she is very weak, very thin for a harbour seal, and on a beach with people. Seals don't haul out on beaches with people... I'm going to have a new video soon on this subject.

[hmj211]

How could you tell she was abandoned? (No snark, I honestly want to know what made you think that--the fact that she was so small, and her mother was nowhere to be found?)

i still think your attempt was noble.

[CBlargh]

@hmj211

-We actually didn't know at first. She was just hanging out on the beach and her mom was nowhere to be found. We called the MMC for advice.

-Now I know her floppy skin, svelte appearance, weakness and the absence of her mom for more than a few minutes were all pretty good signs she was abandoned.

-Most people in the bay area are more familiar with sea lions which are slimmer than harbour seals, so we didn't know how skinny she really was. She should have looked like a big sausage.

[Moonstripewarrior]

awwwwwww.its so cute!

[Cetaceans4life]

cute little guuuy!

[tree329000]

you should of called the Marine mammal center.

I think their is something wrong with this pup.

[TheMightyLu]

@ScarlettKnights your not supposed to touch them. Seals can live without food for days at a time. The right thing to do was to contact the marine centre.

[ScarlettKnights]

@CBlargh

ditto

[CBlargh]

@ScarlettKnights

-I appreciate your zeal, though your perspective needs widening. You've just said several things I agree with 100%.

-... and anyone who cares this much about animals can't be all bad.