Seal Sitters in West Seattle has had an early and sad start to seal pupping season this year.

Our dedicated hotline (206-905-SEAL) received a report from a beach resident early Saturday morning reporting 3 harbor seals on the raft offshore Emma Schmitz Overlook along Beach Drive. The caller described a larger adult, a medium sized seal and a tiny pup. When Seal Sitters First Responder David arrived at Emma Schmitz, only the pup was still on the raft.

Based on observations through a spotting scope, David determined the pup (shown above) was deceased. He called the reporting party back for more information and was told that on Friday night the raft was empty. When they got up around 6:30 am the next morning, the 3 seals were on the raft and they thought they saw the larger seal licking the pup. The larger seals left later in the morning.

There was blood on the raft indicating a birth site and the dead pup was covered in long, wavy white fur (lanugo), indicating that it was a full month premature.

Dyanna Lambourn at WDFW Marine Mammals investigations was informed that we had a newborn pup for necropsy. Since retrieval by kayak was not the easiest endeavor, David and Co-Investigator Lynn waited and waded out at lower tide, when the raft was accessible in about a foot of water, to retrieve the pup.

The pup was delivered to WDFW Marine Mammal Investigations office in Lakewood on Sunday morning.

This is one of the earliest (if not the earliest) response by Seal Sitters to a premature pup in West Seattle. Premature pups face tremendous obstacles for survival. At a month premature, a pup's organs and muscles have not fully developed. We do not know if the pup was born alive, dying shortly afterwards, or was stillborn.

Central and South Puget Sound has hundreds of pregnant harbor seals at this time. Full-term pups can be born in our area anytime from late June - September. To view a seal pupping timeframe map for Washington, click here.

If you see a small pup onshore - or on a dock or raft - over the next several months or more it is likely newborn or recently weaned. It is imperative that people stay far back to ensure that mom will not be scared away - but, if she is, she will more likely return to care for her pup if the area is clear and quiet. It is truly a matter of life and death, so please do not interfere. If the animal is being harassed by people or dogs, please contact the stranding network for your area (map here).

Read more in-depth about harbor seal pups on Seal Sitters’ website.

Tags: Pupping season