Abandoned seal pup ‘Little Dipper’ rescued from West Seattle beach, now in wildlife rehab

When you’re out on the shore this holiday weekend, be mindful of the creatures with whom we share it, those that can’t speak for themselves. Robin Lindsey from Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network shares the story of “Little Dipper” the rescued seal pup:

Harbor-seal-pupping season is now underway in South Puget Sound, as well as the outer coast beaches and other inland waters. Since many readers will be out enjoying our waterways and beaches this holiday weekend, please stay well away (100 yards) from harbor-seal haulouts, now filled with pregnant females and moms with newborn pups. Offshore rafts, log booms and docks may also have moms with pups resting on them – or a pup alone. A pup who is alone is not necessarily abandoned! Please don’t interfere or the adult may not return.

Human (and canine) disturbance is truly a matter of life and death for these tiny pups who are still nursing and too young to forage for themselves. Read my post “Fourth of July no picnic for wildlife” about how you can help keep wildlife safe this holiday and throughout the summer and fall months of pupping season.

Last Friday afternoon, Seal Sitters MMSN rescued a newborn harbor seal pup from the beach at Lincoln Park and transported him to PAWS Wildlife Center for health assessment. The pup had first been sighted onshore by Colman Pool early Thursday morning. The reporting party said that she witnessed the pup being scared from the beach by people approaching too closely. When Seal Sitters first responder Lynn arrived, there were 4 illegally off-leash dogs nearby. After she cleared the beach of people and dogs, the pup finally returned to rest on the sand. He had been frantically trying to climb up onto one of the old cement piers off Point Williams to rest, but did not have the strength. Lynn established a large perimeter of yellow tape.

Because it was truly an urgent situation for this still-nursing pup, estimated to be only a few days old, Seal Sitters diverted Park visitors around the opposite side of the pool via the sidewalk loop Sadly, we had a few people who were incensed at this mild inconvenience and questioned Seal Sitters MMSN’s authority to do so. As a member of NOAA’s Marine Mammal Stranding Network with a binding agreement to respond to all marine mammals, dead or alive, we do indeed have the authority to safely divert the public away from a harbor seal (or other marine mammal) on the beach. All marine mammals are protected from harassment and disturbance by Federal law, the MMPA and Washington State law. Thankfully, there were hundreds of people who were thrilled to help an animal in need simply by sharing the shore and giving them the little bit of space they need.

We hoped desperately that the pup’s mom might return for him, after waiting for the disturbance around her pup to subside. However, over 2 days’ time and with no evidence of a mom, the emaciated pup’s condition was worsening in extremely hot temperatures (photo taken early Friday afternoon) and it was obvious the pup was abandoned. The decision was made to transport him to PAWS.

Please read my post for more info about the pup nicknamed Little Dipper, who is doing well in rehab.

Trying to protect a newborn pup in a busy urban area is incredibly challenging and is almost always a recipe for disaster. Any pup born in our area at this time would still be nursing. However, we can still have pups born as late as early September (October in Hood Canal), so there will be a mix of weaned pups and newborns using shoreline habitat as the season progresses.. If you see a pup onshore, PLEASE stay back, keep people away, keep dogs away and leashed – and call the stranding network immediately in hopes mom will not abandon her pup.

Robin and the Seal Sitters corps are full of hope for Little Dipper; last month, they dealt with a heartbreaker, a premature pup who turned up on Alki Point and couldn’t be saved.

P.S. If you have questions for Seal Sitters, and/or are interested in volunteering, look for them at the West Seattle Summer Fest Community Tent on Friday and Sunday afternoons during the festival (July 10th and 12th) – we’ll be previewing the full community-group lineup as our Summer Fest countdown continues in the days ahead.

19 Replies to "Abandoned seal pup 'Little Dipper' rescued from West Seattle beach, now in wildlife rehab"

  • Marianne July 3, 2015 (6:37 pm)

    Lynn, I so appreciate your efforts to help this pup. I hope there are more people who give you kind words as you do this VOLUNTEER work than there are those who are obnoxious, self-absorbed, and just plain lazy.

  • Chuck and Sally's Van Man July 3, 2015 (9:24 pm)

    Way to go, entitled off-leashers. You and your pup aren’t hurting anyone by frolicking unabated on the beach. Not caught equals no harm, no foul, right?

    Seriously. Solid work.

  • tonenotvolume July 3, 2015 (10:06 pm)

    Agreed. Makes me uncomfortable to remind dog owners about leash law but what else works? And thank you Seal Sitters for your efforts even when dealing with the jerk squad. Hope they read WSB.

  • Northwest July 3, 2015 (10:21 pm)

    Admirable work to say the least by volunteers and staff of both parties. I just put seal sitters into my contacts of my mobile should I see a baby seal in very public shorelines like Lincoln Park.

  • Chris & L.A. July 3, 2015 (11:51 pm)

    Thank you Lynn, Robin and everyone else who worked to improve this pup’s chance of survival.

  • anonyme July 4, 2015 (6:19 am)

    It says a lot about the off-leash (and general) sense of entitlement here in Seattle when people have the gall to complain about a small area of beach being restricted in order to save a seal pup already harassed by ignorant humans and roaming dogs. Sickening.

  • flimflam July 4, 2015 (8:04 am)

    even though animal control may not CURRENTLY have the $ to patrol more thoroughly, I hope they realize they could rake in enough money in a week or so to pay the salaries of a few new hires if they would put some effort in this direction…

  • G July 4, 2015 (9:18 am)

    Sometimes Seattle seems to be a city full of people in various stages of arrested adolescence. Grown up – seemingly – adults with unleashed dogs giving you that look like they’ve been caught red-handed by parents doing something questionable. No, I’m not your parent just keep your dogs leashed.

  • Sandra July 4, 2015 (10:26 am)

    This interesting article about seal pups was lacking one vital bit of information.
    The contact numbers, phone or e-mail for the stranding network should be included in every article about this wonderful group of volunteers.

  • KT July 4, 2015 (11:27 am)

    Seal Sitter Hotline is 206-905-SEAL (7325) to report a seal (or other marine mammal) on the beach.

  • pupsarebest July 4, 2015 (11:59 am)

    Thank you, Seal Sitters, for all you do to help these innocent, helpless creatures.
    So sad that your job is complicated by people confronting you as you try to do your best.
    anonyme, your comment hits the nail square on the head.
    The more I watch people in action, the more I prefer animals.

  • Robin July 4, 2015 (12:07 pm)

    Sandra, thanks for pointing out the hotline phone number omission!

    Seal Sitters Hotline: 206-905-7325 (SEAL)

    Animal Control hit Lincoln Park at least twice after the Little Dipper incident. They are terribly short-staffed to cover more than 200 parks, but have assured us that Lincoln Park and Alki Beach are now on their increased radar for off-leash dogs.

    Seal Sitters so appreciates the support of the West Seattle Community and WSB!

    • WSB July 4, 2015 (12:14 pm)

      Apologies, I usually include that in a tag but failed to, this time.

  • Rebecca July 4, 2015 (5:41 pm)

    I’m so fed up with people feeling so entitled to let their dogs off leash in public places, especially beaches,like lincoln park which are clearly signed! Every single time I go there, dogs are wandering the beach in full knowledge of their owners sometimes right near a posted sign forbidding it. Ugh!

  • Northwest July 4, 2015 (7:39 pm)

    It’s up to people like us Rebecca who do notice people letting their dogs wander the beach to reach out and inform them that they are in fact in a sensitive marine environment home to shorebirds seals crustaceans and that dogs are basically not in their own natural environment. Please don’t hold it in and reach out like I do and let others know at least inform them to research it themselves maybe they simply are not aware.

  • pupsarebest July 5, 2015 (9:28 am)

    While I appreciate your charitable educational outreach approach, Northwest, I find it hard to believe the people who let their dogs run unleashed are unaware of the basic leash law, nor the specific issues of the beach ecosystem—adequate signage spells it all out quite clearly.
    The great majority of offenders are not innocent, ignorant citizens, who, if they only knew the law would follow it—they are scofflaws who quite knowingly decide to break the law each time they unleash their dog(s).

  • Rebecca July 5, 2015 (12:08 pm)

    well said pupsarebest. And I do also appreciate what you said Northwest, but I suspect that of the people I most often see allowing their dogs off leash, perhaps 10 % of them are truly ignorant of the off leash prohibition, perhaps because it is their first time visiting the park and seeing all the other off leash pets lures them into a kind of sign blindness. I’m always at that park with my children and I have no desire to expose them to what is likely going to be a tasteless, possibly vulgar rebuttal by uncaring dog owners who think very little of a single citizens effort to “police” the law. I also don’t want to expose myself or children to an unleashed, strange dog period. I’m not saying there is nothing we as concerned citizens can do, but perhaps our efforts would be better spent trying to get the bodies that can enforce the law more interested in doing so, or in other efforts to increase public awareness of the problem?

  • Lesley July 7, 2015 (12:00 pm)

    My partner and I were the ones that called the seal in to Seal Sitters. We noticed it when a young girl and two adult women were moving towards it on the beach, trying to take a photo of it with their phones. They were probably less than 20 feet from the pup and closing. The pup was struggling to get back into the water to get away and we called after the people to please stop. They walked off and we called Seal Sitters. They said they would send someone immediately. We both had to get going to work, so after waiting a few minutes, started walking out of the park. On the way, we called to a dog owner with two off-leash dogs on the beach to tell them about the seal pup down the way. They said thanks for letting them know and were nice about it. To our amazement, on our way out, Lynn was on her way in and we talked with her for a minute to give more info. I regret not staying by the pup to keep people and dogs away. I honestly had no idea she would be there so quickly. What an amazing volunteer! Thank you!

    I’m so happy that “Little Dipper” was taken up to PAWS for rehab. I’m a wildlife volunteer there and will be up there this afternoon. Hoping for a healthy recovery and successful release.

  • Lesley July 7, 2015 (12:04 pm)

    Also, it’s so uncomfortable to confront dog owners on the beach, but I will do it in an event where the dogs are really causing problems. A few weeks ago, someone was letting their dog chase every shorebird in sight away during low-tide. I definitely said something in that scenario. And not only is there a leash law, but even if your dog is on a leash, it is not allowed on beaches in Seattle.

    http://www.seattle.gov/parks/aquatics/pools/rules_beach.htm

    If only this law were to ever be enforced. Instead, ordinary citizens have to put themselves in sometimes scary positions confronting those breaking the law.

Sorry, comment time is over.