For the past two days, a number of people have been intentionally going inside the “protected marine mammal” tape barrier to get a closer look at seal pup Queen Latifah (even though there are excellent vantage points). Seal Sitters wants to remind the public that once that tape is in place, you are breaking a federal law, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, if you cross it. Should you see a Seal Sitter volunteer inside the tape with a camera it is only to get health assessment photos or video (Latifah has some bloody mouth lesions we are keeping an eye on). No one else is allowed inside the barrier unless a member of the Stranding Network for approved purposes.

Onlookers standing too close to pups causes unnecessary stress. When one person breaches the tape, it is human nature that others follow suit. Case in point, yesterday afternoon there were about 7 people illegally inside the tape. Seal pups need to rest and warm up and they have limited places to do so in our urban environment. This morning our first responder watched Queen Latifah desperately try to haul out onto the rocks to rest - it took her a full 40 minutes of very physical labor to finally secure a spot on the rocks. Within minutes a woman runner went under the tape, standing on the rocks just a few feet above her. It would have been a travesty if she had scared Latifah back into the water, forcing her to waste yet more precious calories trying to haul out.

So, please resist the temptation to get too close. Enjoy the pups from a distance and know that you will be helping them to survive.

Tags: Queen Latifah