If you happen to spot the seal pup in the photo – no, it’s not in trouble, and the unusual item by her head is nothing to worry about. Robin Lindsey from Seal Sitters says Sandy (the rehabbed, tagged pup mentioned here 3 weeks ago) may just turn up in West Seattle:

Sandy, the satellite-tagged seal pup, has made her way back to our area, according to the most recent satellite hits. Yesterday, she was hanging out on Vashon’s West side in Colvos Passage. This morning the data reveals that she is at the north end of Vashon, near the Port Orchard/Southworth ferry run. We are asking folks to keep an eye out for her – and to stay back (of course) and call our hotline at 206-905-7325 (SEAL) if you spot her. Sandy’s homing instinct may well be sending her back to West Seattle and we’ll be waiting with open arms and lots of yellow tape!

It is incredibly exciting to watch this little pup we rescued from West Seattle back in August and her progress back in the Salish Sea; and, thus far, she seems to be successfully adapting to her new lease on life after a very long rehab at PAWS. People can follow her on SeaDoc Society’s “Sandy” page and receive almost daily e-mails of her travels.

We want to assure folks that her satellite tag was applied with glue and will fall off as she molts her coat in a few months, if not sooner. The tag does not impair her in any way and provides invaluable data for research that will help other seal pups. Here is a link to the blog posts about Sandy, including a video of her release.

P.S. Want to be a Seal Sitters volunteer? A training session is coming up March 3rd. We have a separate story in the works on that, but you can find out more right now by going here.