Vulnerable seal pup is regular visitor to Lincoln Park
Jan/26/15 08:28 AM
Before support volunteers were able to arrive to help monitor the perimeter, there were 5 overt breaches - walkers with dogs and runners cut through the well-marked tape barrier with “Do Not Enter” and “Resting Seal Pup” signs. Each was insistent that they had not disturbed the seal. Another man was emphatic that he wanted to go in and stand close to the seal again, as he had done before Seal Sitters MMSN arrived.
NOAA recommends a distance of 100 yards from marine mammals and they are protected from harassment by Federal and WA State law. Undisrupted, stress-free rest is crucial to the survival of seal pups who have a 50% mortality rate their first year. Colman is terribly unresponsive to people standing within feet of him - and that is of great concern and may well indicate underlying health issues. Just because Colman does not react, does not mean he isn’t stressed at such close activity. Seal Sitters MMSN is closely monitoring his health and behavior.
Of grave concern is the fact that Colman is extremely vulnerable to injury from the many illegally off-leash dogs that are at Lincoln Park and on the beaches each and every day. There is no way Colman could escape. Dog behavior cannot be predicted and each, regardless of breed, should be considered a danger to a struggling seal pup.
Seal Sitters volunteers like Laura and daughter Cyrilla (photo) helped keep the pup safe until he (or she) returned to the Sound around 2pm. Thanks to the many volunteers who educated hundreds of people and protected Colman on a gorgeous and busy day at the beach.
At 5pm, Seal Sitters’ first responder investigated a report of a pup at the north end of the park. Due to darkness, she was unable to confirm if the pup was Colman. The pup returned to the water at 5:40.
Please, if you see Colman or another seal pup at Lincoln Park, keep people and dogs well away and call our dedicated hotline at 206-905-SEAL (7235).
