Harbor Seal Pup Alert

Here’s a Note From Wolf Hollow…

Harbor Seal Alert – Contributed Photo

Please remind your friends and neighbors that if they see a Harbor Seal pup on its own on the shore and it appears to be injured or weak, they shouldn’t touch it, move it or try to get it into the water. They should keep people and dogs away from the pup and call The Marine Mammal Hotline 1 800 562 8832 and leave a message. This hotline is monitored by the San Juan County Marine Mammal Stranding Network who will return their call.

If they call Wolf Hollow directly, all we can do is record the details of the pup’s location and condition and your name and phone number. We will then pass this information on to the Stranding Network coordinators who will take it from there. Harbor Seals, being marine mammals, come under the authority of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and are covered by the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which makes it a federal offence to touch, harass, injure or feed any marine mammal, including Harbor Seal pups. Wolf Hollow staff and volunteers have no more authority to rescue a seal pup than has any member of the public. We are not permitted to go out and check on the pup, or bring it to the center for care.

Once a seal pup has been brought to Wolf Hollow by those permitted to do so, we can rehabilitate it and, when it is strong and old enough to survive on its own, release it back into the wild. We currently have seven such seal pups in our care.

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