Nothing fishy about seals on P.E.I. shores, says Marine Animal Response Society

Spotting a seal on land on P.E.I. might come as a surprise for some, but it's no cause for concern, says the Marine Animal Response Society.

It's pupping season, and it's completely "normal" for seals to be out of the water at this time, said Tonya Wimmer, the organization's executive director. 

"They actually have to be out of the water to have their babies," she said. 

"Some of the pups actually can't swim very well at the beginning, so they very much need to be on a beach or on pack ice or some other shoreline."

What's the deal with all the seals?

Seals will be out of the water during pupping season for anywhere between a few days to a few weeks, depending on the species, Wimmer said. 

Grey seals and harbour seals are the most common species on P.E.I., she said. But harp seals and hooded seals spend time on the Island, too. 

"For some, they stay with their baby until the baby is fully fed and weaned, and then they abandon it and they're gone for life," she said. 

"Other ones might stay with their baby and they might be on land, but the mom will come and go as she feeds." 

Because of those differences, it's hard to tell if a seal pup is still nursing or if it's been abandoned, Wimmer said. It can even be tricky to know what kind of species the pup is, she said.

'Still wild animals'

When the seals come to shore, Wimmer said her main advice is to keep an eye on them, but do so from a distance. 

"Even though… they kind of look cute and fuzzy and fairly helpless, they are still wild animals," Wimmer said. 

Seals aren't necessarily aggressive, but they can move at "incredible speeds" and get defensive of their pups, Wimmer said. 

"It is really important for people to understand that the wild animals need to sort of be left alone to do what they need to do," Wimmer said. 

Seals don't always follow that advice, though.

"They can move around. We have had them walk up onto… people's yards or even onto roads," Wimmer said.

In those sorts of situations, Wimmer said it's important to give the Marine Animal Response Society's hotline a call at 1-866-567-6277.

"Anyone is more than welcome if they see a seal and they don't know whether or not it's in distress in some way or injured or ill, they most definitely should call our toll-free hotline," Wimmer said.