The beautiful juvenile Harbor Seal was found on a foggy morning in midsummer. The seal was beached at the high tide line and its breathing was heavy and labored. It had no interest in returning to the water and needed only to remain at rest.
For the next six hours the seal struggled to survive the world of curious humans.
Learn what to do if you find a seal on the beach.
The two agencies listed below have in my experience been helpful:
Massachusetts Environmental Police: 508-753-0603
Northeast Region Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Stranding and Entanglement Hotline: 866-755-6622
Reposted from August 14th. See original post here.
Good Morning Gloucester 
Told people who have good hearts today..just leave alone because the seal gets stressed..hope it is ok
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That’s the best thing Donna.
I learned after I made the PSA that one of the reasons they haul out is to escape a shark attack!
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Does anyone know what happened to the injured baby seal that was on Good Harbor Beach today?
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Hopefully if anyone has any information they will write in and let us know.
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Thank you so much for reposting the seal video! I was wondering why I had not seen it the first time it was posted and I realized that it was because I was in Gloucester at that time enjoying the beautiful beaches and sights!
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You are welcome Janet. So glad you had a wonderful visit to Gloucester!
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Beautiful story, thank you Kim.
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Thank you Bernie, very nice of you to write.
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Very Nicely done Kim and a reminder to the Public that it is against Federal Law to disturb, stress, harm or approach within 150 feet of a mammal. Also do not approach a dead mammal and call Marine Authorities for your personal protection. Enjoy Nature but be aware that it is wild and can be deadly.
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Thanks so much Joe T. While writing the short script it was very interesting to learn about the laws and protocol. Thank you for the dead marine animal tip, too.
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Kim that is helpful and well done. Is this suggested viewing for the lifeguards? I’ll be sure to keep my dog away from the little critter (Rover would be on a leash and in proper season 🙂 )
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Thanks so much Allen for your very kind words. The lifeguard on duty that day was well-trained and super helpful.
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Come on people, now we judge seals stress levels?? Hopefully Michelle O has banned it from eating trans fats. Throw it back in the ocean where it belongs and enjoy the beach. It’s called the circle of life.
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I saw this seal yesterday and I am appalled at how many good peoplw were reporting it, we were all told to leave it alone! It was injuried and in need of some assistance. I even called the Gloucester police and was hung up on!!! Poor thing, hope it found its way to help…..
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That was not my experience at all and it is unfortunate Sharon that happened to you. The Gloucester police were very helpful when I called, referring me to the environmental police, and as you can see in the psa, they were extremely helpful and knowledgeable, as was the lifeguard on duty.
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Kim, the video you posted is nice and informative. My experience with “the seal”, was yesterday morning. This seal was injuries. Many people I spoke to encountered a similar experience to mine with local police! No professional agency (Local police, NE Aquarium, NOAA, or Animal Control) seemed interested in a young injuried seal beached. This made me very upset, as well as the many bystanders and dog peoe I spoke to.
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The two agencies listed below have in my experience been helpful:
Massachusetts Environmental Police: 508-753-0603
Northeast Region Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Stranding and Entanglement Hotline: 866-755-6622
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Very nice story and so needed! Thanks Dave & Kim
All of the above comments are 100 spot on when they are laying on the side on the beach like this…They get out of water for a very good reasons and can survive on land – where other predators cannot…
http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2014/02/update_seal_dies_just_hours_af.html
***Note there was another rescue where after 14 hours the seal returned and was ok***
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A seal that was rescued off the shoreline of Great Kills Harbor Sunday afternoon died while being treated at the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation on Long Island, the organization’s director said.
Despite their best efforts, director Rob DiGiovanni said they were unable to save the animal, identified as a male Harp Seal that was about two-years-old.
“Although we have a more than 60 percent survival rate for animals that come into our facility, sometimes there is nothing we can do, but we always give it our best shot,” DiGiovanni said.
DiGiovanni, who also serves as the foundation’s senior biologist, said his team will conduct a full necropsy on the seal to try and determine the cause of death. He noted the animal seemed lethargic, but could not say exactly what contributed to its death.
Neighbors discovered the seal beached along the harbor’s shoreline near Mansion and Cleveland avenues Saturday around 4 p.m. It appeared injured, residents said, and stayed there for nearly six hours before returning to the water.
The Riverhead Foundation — a Long Island non-profit organization that rescues marine life — was dispatched to the area Saturday evening, but could not find the seal after it slipped back into the harbor.
They returned Sunday and managed to retrieve it from the water, transporting the seal to their facilities for an examination, where it later died.
“Unfortunately, the seal died during the physical — we drew blood, and in the interim process, it passed,” DiGiovanni said. “Many times with these animals, they don’t show signs or symptoms until the last possible moment.”
While Harp seals have become more common off the coast of Long Island in recent years, traveling in from Arctic regions around Canada, DiGiovanni said that it’s still somewhat rare to spot one around Staten Island.
He encouraged folks to always call their 24/7 hotline at 631-369-9829 if they spot marine life in need of rescue
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Thanks Kim. I will keep those contacts for the next time and hope to have better success.
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You are welcome Sharon. I added the phone numbers to the post, too, and hopefully readers will have good results if needed in the future.
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