A wildlife conservation group is reminding the public to leave seal pups alone after recent incidents, including one where a tourist “kicked” a pup back into Victoria Harbour.
Mollie Cameron, president of the Wild Wise Society, said after the incident a week ago, another person went into the water to try and rescue the pup.
Moving a seal, or enticing or causing it to move, and swimming with a marine mammal are illegal acts under Canada’s marine mammal regulations, and dangerous for both human and animal, says the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
Over the same weekend, a harbour seal pup was left by its mother at Saxe Point in Esquimalt, where people were crowding in and posting the pup’s location on social media, said Cameron.
She said there is a risk that the mother seal may not return to the pup after contact with so many humans.
The Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Society said it has rescued three harbour seal pups in the Victoria area this month. All of the pups — two males and a female — were taken into care due to “maternal separation.”
One was rescued from Esquimalt and another from Victoria. One of those pups showed signs of malnourishment, while the third pup, taken from Sooke Harbour Marina, was underweight due to being born prematurely.
Crowds of people only cause stress to the pup and the mother during a critical period when the mother is foraging for food for her own nourishment and that of her baby, said Cameron.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans said seal pupping is at its height in the spring and summer, which is also a peak time for beachgoers and hikers.
Every year, people find seals on shore and pick them up, thinking they have been abandoned, DFO said. However, in most cases, the mother is out feeding and will return to tend to the pup.
Seals spend about a third of their time on land, coming ashore daily to rest, socialize, escape predators, nurse their young and keep warm in the sun.
The DFO said people and their pets should keep a safe distance, never try to feed a seal or force it back into the water and report any incidents to DFO or Vancouver Aquarium’s Marine Mammal Rescue Society.
Pouring water on a seal isn’t helpful, either, as they are often on shore to dry off and warm up, said DFO.
Interventions should only be done by trained professionals, and only with the approval of the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Society or Fisheries and Oceans Canada, said the Wild Wise Society.
The Marine Mammal Rescue Society, which responds to more than 300 incidents every year, has launched a Be Seal Smart campaign that includes a video of what the public should do when encountering a seal pup.
To report a sick, injured or abandoned marine mammal, call the rescue centre at 604-258-SEAL (7325). To report illegal fishing activity or a dead, injured or entangled marine mammal, such as whales or sea turtles, call 1-800-465-4336.
