PAWS Magazine

Pupping season for Harbor Seals throughout the Puget Sound stretches from spring to early fall. Few animals are more adorable than young seal pups with their long whiskers and fuzzy faces. It can be difficult to resist the urge to approach a beached pup for a closer look, but keeping your distance is extremely important for a seal pup's well-being. Even a single curious onlooker may prevent the seal's mother from returning to her pup.

If you are concerned that a seal on a beach may need help, call the Northwest Marine Mammal Stranding Hotline at 1.800.853.1964, managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries department, the agency in charge of overseeing marine mammals. NOAA maintains a network of authorized responders who investigate calls to the stranding hotline. These experts investigate the situation and determine the appropriate course of action. Never attempt to rescue a seal yourself. Doing so may endanger both you and the seal, and may also lead to heavy fines under the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act which prohibits people from harassing, disturbing or capturing marine mammals. Encourage others to stay at least 100 feet away from the seal and let them know that the proper authorities have been notified.

Providing Care
When a stranding network responder determines that a seal is in distress and intervention is warranted, NOAA often calls upon PAWS to provide medical and rehabilitative care. In an average year, this can result in perhaps two to six Harbor Seal pups brought to our Wildlife Center, but in 2007 a total of 15 individuals were admitted---the most ever in one year.

Seals are very specialized animals, which makes meeting their needs in a captive setting challenging. They have voracious appetites, require large pools of clean water in which to swim, and must be tested for a variety of diseases, some of which are potentially transmittable to humans. If they are not past weaning age when admitted, they must be tube-fed a rich milk replacement formula, sometimes around-the-clock. As the seals mature, they quickly gain weight transforming from small pups to large, feisty sub-adults who strain the backs of caregivers as they lift them out of their pools for daily care. Seals must also be handled with extreme caution. They are, after all, marine carnivores, and have impressive teeth.

Depending on their health and age, seals may be in care at PAWS for a few weeks or up to several months. As a young seal grows, so does his appetite. On average a weaned seal at the wildlife center eats 350 large herring, and requires the use of 12,700 gallons of water per week. In 2007, these needs alone added up to an average cost of care of $370 per week per seal. This cost does not include blood tests, X-rays and other diagnostic tests that are required during the rehabilitation process. It also does not include the countless hours that PAWS staff, volunteers and interns dedicate to caring for these very special patients.

Wild Again
The end result of all of this hard work is a priceless outcome. An animal carrier is placed at the water's edge. An inquisitive, dark-eyed face peers out through the carrier door. The door is opened, and a fat, healthy Harbor Seal undulates forward, slowly moving into deeper and deeper water. The seal begins to swim, first limiting his movements to an area roughly the size of the pool in which he was rehabilitated, but soon realizing that there are no longer any walls to contain him. He dives and resurfaces further and further from shore until he is out of sight---re-absorbed into his liquid world.

From Willapa Bay in the south to Samish Island in the north, this scene occurred throughout 2007 with seals that were rehabilitated at PAWS Wildlife Center. You may encounter these individuals or their kin as you walk the beaches of Washington this year. If you do, be sure to give them the space they need to remain wild and free.