Harbor seal pupping season has started on the Oregon coast and various animal groups are reminding beachgoers that while the seals are adorable or may appear to be abandoned — do not touch them.
The baby seals use time on land to regulate body temperature and rest. However, if a young pup is onshore alone the mother may not return if humans are too close.
“Seal pups often double in size from birth in 4-6 weeks on a regular diet of mother’s milk with 40 percent milkfat,” the Seaside Aquarium said in a recent statement. “While the extra layer of fat makes the pups adorable, the pups depend on that stored body fat to survive foraging on their own as they become more independent. Any interference from humans that could cause early separation between newborn pup and mother could be detrimental to the pup’s ability to survive.”
To prevent fatal abandonment, wildlife experts say the seal pups should be given plenty of space and viewed from a distance. The aquarium says that human interference and domestic dog interactions are challenges for the health and well-being of both young and mature seals.
Marine mammals are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Under this federal law, it is illegal to move, touch, harass, feed, or kill marine mammals – including seal pups.
If people come across a seal pup, they should contact the Marine Mammal Stranding Network hotline by calling 503-738-6211 or 1-866-767-6114. Volunteers may post signs that encourage the public to keep a safe distance away from the animal while the situation is monitored. Most of the time the animal is healthy and in need of a rest before it rejoins with its mother or re-enters the water, the aquarium said.
Hope the animal groups include a warning that not only humans but their dogs should leave those young seals strictly alone, as in stay at least 20-30′ away. Assuming the dog owners train their dogs so that if they call their dog and/or limit how far their dogs can range (unleashed) away from them, their dogs will coimply. I see dogs harassing/chasing shore birds, plovers, whimbrels, gulls almost every time I visit any beach in Newport–I hope tourists & dog owners in Yachats care more about the birds then those I see letting their dogs harass beach wildlife. I used to try to ask those dog owners to control their dogs but gave after 2 years: I was yelled at, was told the dog(s) weren’t dong what they were obviously doing (the owner was busy talking w/friends for 20-30 minutes, wasn’t keeping an eye on his dogs, and told that the birds “enjoyed it see it as a game” or plovers enjoy being chased down a beach by animals that weight 60 times more then they do.