COLUMN: Ian Marshall: Seal tales

It’s that time of year when young seals can be found on our beaches around the Maritimes Region, looking stranded and, in many cases, cute and cuddly.

But it’s important to remember that seals are wild creatures and can in fact be quite aggressive.

Many people are compelled to try and help young seals, when they could be causing more harm than good. Like any other wild animal, seals have survival instincts, and while they may look calm and subdued, they can behave forcefully towards an approaching human.

Mother seals leave their young only after a few weeks of nursing, leaving the young seal pup alone until hunger drives them to the ocean to find food. During this time, many seal pups find their way onto beaches to rest. They go back into the water to feed after their rest, and the cycle continues. While on the beach, the chances are high that humans and their pets may stumble across them. Young seals look cuddly, slow and fairly immobile. Appearances can be deceiving, however, as this anecdote illustrates.



The seal came back the very next day…

Several years ago, Bill Wolfe, a Conservation and Protection Supervisor in Liverpool, came across a young seal pup on the beach at Ragged Harbour. Believing that the seal would be better off in the water, Wolfe, who is trained to deal with such matters coaxed the seal back into the ocean.

After getting into his truck and turning around to head back to the office, he noticed that the seal had climbed out of the water and was back in the same spot. He once again coaxed the young seal back into the water, and drove away.

The next day he received a call about a young seal pup lying on the beach in Ragged Harbour. Upon arrival, he realized it was indeed the same pup from the day before. After he coaxed it back into the ocean for the third time, the pup got the hint and did not return. The seal was likely sunning on the beach after a big meal.

It’s important to not approach seals in situations like this, they are usually quite happy to stay on the beach until it’s time for their next meal.



Hitchhiking seal?

Last winter, a radio station received a call saying a seal had been spotted traveling down St. Margaret’s Bay Road in N.S. Some locals had managed to chase it off the road and into a ditch, which could have proved to be dangerous as the seal could have become scared and aggressive with the approaching humans.

When Fishery Officer Sean Winstanley arrived, he found the seal one mile from the water in someone’s backyard. The seal was at least one year old and was probably startled by something, causing it to head for the bushes, thus getting lost. The fishery officer, who is trained in how to deal with such matters, scooped the seal up in a net, drove him to the water, and released him.



Rub a dub dub, a seal in a tub?

Several years ago in Grand Manan, New Brunswick, a family found a small, dozy seal on the beach. The children thought it was very cute and cuddly and the family decided to take it home with them.

This was a big mistake, as seals are not pets; they are wild animals and can be aggressive towards humans.

They put the seal pup in their bathtub to keep it wet. After several hours the seal awoke and became disoriented and upset, due to being in an unfamiliar place, in fresh water, and not being able to find the ocean.

The little seal started to growl and lunge at anyone who came near it. The family called their local fishery officers, who are trained to deal with seals. The officers came to the house with a net and managed to get the seal back to the ocean where it was very happy to be away from the bathtub.



It’s important to remember that seals are wild animals, and in many cases very dangerous, especially if they are scared or wounded.

If you ever come across a young seal, never approach the animal and always keep your distance. No matter how cuddly it appears seals can attack if they are approached and their bites are prone to start infections. Never transport a young seal – they have an excellent sense of direction and an innate ability to find water.

For more information or to report an injured seal, contact your local Fisheries and Oceans Canada office.

(Ian Marshall is the DFO Area Director for Southwest Nova Scotia. If you have questions about this column or would you like to read about other DFO issues that affect you and your community in future columns send en email to CommEnquire@mar.dfo-mpo.gc.ca or call (902) 426-3550.)