WILDLIFE ALERT: Watch for injured seal pup on West Seattle shores

| West Seattle news | Wildlife

West Seattle’s Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network hopes you can help them find and help this injured pup. From Robin Lindsey:

I wanted to let you know that Seal Sitters’ first responders are on high alert for a harbor seal pup with a serious neck wound, most likely from a fishing net or line. Today, we received a call that a pup was on the inaccessible beach at Jack Block Park. The pup was positioned such that a rescue would have been difficult and most likely would have resulted him escaping into the water, but he was able to get some much-needed rest on the beach.

We would like to ask your readers to please be on the lookout for any seal pup on the beach and call our hotline @ 206-905-SEAL (7325) immediately if you see one. It is our fervent hope that we will be able to capture this pup and take him for treatment. Please note that only members of NOAA’s Marine Mammal Stranding Network are authorized to handle marine mammals. Please keep a distance (and dogs leashed) and call Seal Sitters.

Marine debris and other toxic trash pose grave dangers to marine wildlife. We have expanded a section of our website that offers more details about the dangers marine mammals face – and ways to help.

This is the third positively identified pup that Seal Sitters has responded to in the past week along Elliott Bay’s shoreline, after a strangely quiet pupping season.

Thanks so much – we appreciate the extra eyes on the beach!

At this past Thursday’s Orca Talk event, presented by The Whale Trail, Robin detailed just how “quiet,” and unusual, this season has been. That’ll be part of our upcoming report on the event.

Jeanie December 7, 2015 (12:31 am)

Thank you for alerting us. I so appreciate Seal Sitters!

zaogardening December 7, 2015 (3:02 pm)

Poor fella! While paddleboarding off T105 on Friday, I was trailed for 20 minutes by a mother/pup team, . And as I came closer to shore, the pup kept bumping and nuzzling my board – maybe thinking of jumping on. Mama didn’t like it and came over and chased the pup away from me. I thought it was cute but now I wonder if it was hurt…

Thanks for all your efforts, seal sitters. This event for me happenend immediately off the put-in at T105, or perhaps 50 yards out and 50 yards north.

i'mcoveredinbees December 7, 2015 (6:59 pm)

During one of the super low tides, my kid and I spent a good hour pulling fishing line out of the bank. It was CRAZY as it ran all over the coast, usually underwater. First, it was a fun game, following the line but iIt went on forever! It really stuck with usthat it would usually be underwater and therefore a huge hazard to sea life. Poor seal pup. :(