By Sandra Dubpernell | Stranding Network Coordinator
Whew! We made it through another Harbor seal pupping season - from June to early August for new-born sightings, through late August through October for "weaner" sightings. Moms will nurse their pups for four to six weeks before weaning them. Pups that have been weaned are called “weaners”.
There were a total of 128 Harbor seal pup reports in 2014, 114 in 2015, and 134 in 2016 (see chart).
There were two happenings of interest this year. Of the 16 reports in June, six were of premature, or "lanugo", pups with an unspotted white coat. No lanugo seal pups were reported in the two previous years.
Also, there were more reports of weaner pups in September and October this year, including one healthy pup who climbed onto a dock at a busy marina. He remained there for two days, despite visits by dogs, curious children and an attempt by a man to shove it off the dock (which is a violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act). After two days the pup took off for parts unknown, likely finding a less busy place to haul out. A happy ending!
Another unusual behavior noted this year was that of a juvenile male California sea lion. He came ashore on south Whidbey Island, and followed a worker operating a back hoe on the beach to rebuild a sea wall for several days, then later reports had him being curious and friendly to some local residents. Apparent friendliness is unusual in a sea lion in this region, and could be a sign of illness, but nothing obvious was observed when the sea lion was assessed and observed by our volunteer (though it is difficult to safely do more than assess live sea lions from a distance). Nevertheless, people were warned to stay a safe distance away in case he suddenly became aggressive, and our volunteer talked to all the neighbors in the area to educate them about the sea lion. After all a sea lion is an unpredictable wild animal with large teeth, who can move very fast on land. He remained in the area for a couple of days and then went out to sea. Another happy ending.
Seal pup season is the busiest time of year for the Central Puget Sound Marine Mammal Stranding Network, and we educate hundreds of local residents and visitors to our area about seals and pupping season, and how to safely observe marine mammals on the beach from a distance.
Thanks to your support, we are able to continue education and stranding response efforts in Island, Skagit and North Snohomish counties in Washington state - we could not do it without your help!
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