Adult seal finds safe haven on West Seattle beach
Nov/12/12 06:42 PM
It’s unusual for us to have an adult seal on an urban beach, since they are extremely wary of people; most times, they will be seen on the platforms off shore. However, over the years, we have had several adult seals use the dock at Don Armeni boat launch, including Otis Redding (who rested on the dock for many days in a row while he healed from an ear and parasitic infection) and Heidi Klum, a gorgeous blond female. At night, the abandoned and inaccessible dock at Jack Block Park is heavily used by seals and, most likely, the more remote beaches around West Seattle are used then as well.
This large male has been nicknamed Captain and appears to be healthy, albeit a tad bit thin. We thank the neighbors in the high rise condos across the street who keep watch out their windows late at night, making sure the tape perimeter has not been breached. One night some teenagers crossed the tape, standing on the sea wall above the seal taking photos. An alert neighbor yelled out that they needed to get behind the perimeter. Captain has developed quite a passionate fan base over the past week or so. Protecting him has been a real treat for volunteers and the public.
Seal Sitters’ hotline received a call late this afternoon with a report of a dark little harbor seal pup who had come ashore several times on Alki Beach, only to get repeatedly spooked by people and return to the water. After the 4th attempt, and just before our responder arrived, he swam north and was not sighted again. While searching for the pup along the sea wall, we discovered that Captain had shown up a bit earlier than usual this evening and was already snoozing at his hangout. Volunteers David and Eilene quickly established a perimeter and talked to the curious crowd which had gathered.
11/13/12 am PUPDATE
Last night about 7pm, hotline guru Sharon answered a call from a Seattle Aquarium and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife team. They were at the seal’s location in hopes of securing a cage of mussels on the beach as part of a study of toxicity levels in Puget Sound. They noticed the tape perimeter and called the hotline to see if they could gain access. The team amicably agreed to use an alternate, but close location to secure the cage. We so appreciate their cooperation. While the seal appears to be healthy and, as an adult, not so vulnerable as a small pup, Seal Sitters’ concern is that if we do not continue to allow Captain to rest at this chosen haul out, he might well choose one that is dangerous to him or one we cannot monitor. Huge thanks to the toxicity research team!
