Christmas Eve day and night was a prime example of the 24/7 work done by area marine mammal stranding networks.

At 5:30 am, Seal Sitters’ lead investigator Robin was checking beaches for resting seal pups and found a tiny pup sleeping on the beach at Duwamish Head. She established a tape perimeter and was joined by early bird volunteer Lars. By 6:50 there was enough light to determine that it was Cookie, the pup we observed on the 23rd and feared might be injured. After consulting with WDFW Marine Mammal biologist Dyanna Lambourn (who had reviewed photos of the pup the night before), it appeared that what looks like a bloody injury is more likely creosote on the coat. Removal of creosote from the fur is very difficult and this type of human handling can be stressful on a struggling seal pup. About 9am the pup moved with good mobility from the base of the beach stairs down to the water’s edge and returned to the Sound shortly after.

Less than an hour later, the day’s hotline operator Sharon was taking a walk along Alki Beach with her husband and noticed a small pup coming ashore. First responder David and volunteer Crystal quickly taped off a buffer zone around the pup at each end of the beach and restricted access to the sea wall so people could not stand directly above the pup. Cookie had moved southwest! Volunteers were lined up in shifts to talk to rapt observers. Many thanks to Lars, Staci, Betsy, Lynn, Liz, Sharon, Crystal, Julia, Nina, David and Eilene who stood watch on what began as a relatively beautiful day, but turned into bitter cold and wet duty. Special thanks to volunteer scheduler Connie. Cookie was still on the beach as darkness fell.

As late as 10:40 pm, David and Eilene checked on the pup who was still sleeping peacefully, but was staying close to the receding tideline. At 6 am this morning, Robin and volunteer Billy searched Alki, but Cookie was not on the beach and was not seen today.

In addition to Cookie at Alki Beach, 8 seals rested at Jack Block Park yesterday and were monitored by Seal Sitters’ volunteers. The seals were inaccessible. Among those seals was Sugarplum, first observed on the park’s public access beach last week. Port Police has temporarily closed the beach.

Late afternoon on Christmas Eve, Seal Sitters received an email about a dead porpoise at Shoreline’s Richmond Beach (not in Seal Sitters MMSN jurisdiction). We contacted Sno-King Marine Mammal Response whose lead investigator Rachel Mayer searched the beach in the rain late last night, found and secured the animal so it would not disappear with the tide. Today, WDFW’s Dyanna Lambourn with kids and husband in tow picked up the dead porpoise (it will be necropsied to determine cause of death) on the way to her mother’s house for Christmas dinner.

We want to wish all of our fellow dedicated NOAA Marine Mammal Stranding Network volunteers throughout the Northwest a happy holiday season and know that many sacrificed their Christmas celebrations to respond to animals in need - just as we all do every single day of the year, rain or shine.

Tags: Cookie, Sugarplum

Yesterday afternoon, a report of a pup on the steps at Alki Beach was phoned in to Seal Sitters hotline. Responders were on the scene within minutes to find a small pup resting just below the promenade across from Cactus restaurant. Volunteers quickly set a perimeter and observed the animal while talking to passersby. The sweet little pup, nicknamed Cookie, rested long enough for people to get a great view and learn a bit about seal behavior and biology. Pups often use the steps as a haul out site when the tide is high and there’s no exposed beach to use.

Two people came up and showed photos taken earlier of the pup coming up the steps. They were worried that there appeared to be a possible wound on the left side (hidden from our view of the resting pup). Indeed the photos raised that possibility. We attempted to get a closer look from the opposite side, but the pup returned to the water minutes later and we could not get a clear shot.

Late that afternoon as darkness fell, Cookie hauled out again at the tideline. In the darkness we could hear the pup coughing and rasping - not a good sign. Almost all pups have some kind of respiratory issues this time of year, some worse than others.

Volunteers were out before sunrise this morning looking for the pup along the promenade, checking each set of steps leading down to the beach. Cookie could not be found. Upon examining our photos, we discovered the pup might have some lacerations. Had photos been downloaded and examined on site, we would have been able to see these possible wounds in the pup’s mottled coat. Due to weight, costly replacement value and challenging conditions, our first responders do not generally take their laptops into the field. An iPad would have enabled us to quickly examine high resolution photos on site and if the pup was indeed wounded, we might have been able to capture the seal pup, do a health assessment and get him medical attention if necessary (though his proximity to the water would have made it difficult). If you have an iPad you would like to donate to our work, please contact us or if you’d like to donate funds to enable us to purchase one, please visit our donation page. We have sent photos to WDFW Marine Mammal Investigations’ biologist to determine if the pups has wounds .

We will be vigilantly looking for Cookie. Please, call our hotline immediately if you see a pup on the beach: 206-905-7325 (SEAL).

PUPDATE 12/24 a.m.
Cookie was found resting on a nearby beach before dawn and returned to the water at daybreak, just as we managed to id him. We have still not been able to determine if the pup is injured, but he seemed to move well across the beach. It is also reassuring that he had no coughing spells today.

Tags: Cookie