Seal pup Tumbler finds a quiet haulout
Oct/06/12 05:09 AM
Seal Sitters is happy to report that seal pup Tumbler, who spent a long day at Me Kwa Mooks beach on Tuesday, but wasn’t sighted the next day, has found a safe new resting spot. We had some health concerns and were hoping to be able to observe him over the following few days. Early Thursday afternoon, the hotline received a call about a pup on a private beach. Our responder found Tumbler sound asleep on the kelp-covered, pebbled beach.
Since the beach also had a public entrance so we closed that off with Protected Marine Mammal tape and stationed volunteers to keep an eye on him. And it’s a good thing we did - a neighbor’s offleash dogs ran out of the house and onto the beach about 20 feet away. Thankfully, the volunteer intercepted the dog and Tumbler continued to snooze. He was looking thinner than the other day, but has been coming and going from the beach, which is a good sign that he is foraging for food. Yesterday, he returned to the same stretch of beach and neighbors, as well as Seal Sitters, have been keeping a watchful eye over him. After a long nap on a thick kelp mattress, Tumbler returned to the waters of Puget Sound at sunset. We expect him to return again today.
Since there are such limited options for rehab of a seal pup, we want to ensure that Tumbler gets the best chance possible to survive in the wild - and undisrupted rest is critical to this survival. If you are a waterfront owner, please call our hotline at 206-905-7325 (SEAL) if you have a marine mammal on your beach - even if there is not public access. We monitor the health of all of our animals and a pup’s health can take a sudden drastic turn for the worse.
It is curious that for the past two weeks there have been no pups on the Alki platforms, after months of constant use by 5 or more pups. Is it coincidence or harassment by watercraft (fishing boats/kayaks/paddleboards) that has forced the pups to abandon them?
Since the beach also had a public entrance so we closed that off with Protected Marine Mammal tape and stationed volunteers to keep an eye on him. And it’s a good thing we did - a neighbor’s offleash dogs ran out of the house and onto the beach about 20 feet away. Thankfully, the volunteer intercepted the dog and Tumbler continued to snooze. He was looking thinner than the other day, but has been coming and going from the beach, which is a good sign that he is foraging for food. Yesterday, he returned to the same stretch of beach and neighbors, as well as Seal Sitters, have been keeping a watchful eye over him. After a long nap on a thick kelp mattress, Tumbler returned to the waters of Puget Sound at sunset. We expect him to return again today.
Since there are such limited options for rehab of a seal pup, we want to ensure that Tumbler gets the best chance possible to survive in the wild - and undisrupted rest is critical to this survival. If you are a waterfront owner, please call our hotline at 206-905-7325 (SEAL) if you have a marine mammal on your beach - even if there is not public access. We monitor the health of all of our animals and a pup’s health can take a sudden drastic turn for the worse.
It is curious that for the past two weeks there have been no pups on the Alki platforms, after months of constant use by 5 or more pups. Is it coincidence or harassment by watercraft (fishing boats/kayaks/paddleboards) that has forced the pups to abandon them?
