Abby, the female elephant seal who was molting on a private beach in early February, is back in West Seattle. Seal Sitters received a call this afternoon from a waterfront homeowner who immediately recognized the huge seal as an elephant seal. Our first responder checked to make sure the seal had no apparent injuries and taped off a perimeter.

Neighbors are keeping a watchful eye over her and spreading the word that dogs need to be on a leash. Volunteers will be monitoring her as necessary. Abby will likely be there for a number of days, tossing sand over her body.

UPDATE: 3/12 7am
Abby was not on the beach at daybreak this morning. There were, however, a number of huge paw prints where she had been hauled out. We hope that the off leash dog was there after she returned to the water.

Tags: Abby, elephant seal, molting