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Senior News March, 2005 Vol. 24. No. 3
Published by the Humboldt Senior Resource Center in Eureka, California. HSRC is a non-profit community-based organization offering services for senior citizens, multi-generational families and caregivers.
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Humboldt Senior Resource Center Back issues Table of Contents
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Hikers take note Spring brings harbor seal pups to beaches by Lanni Hall The coming months of spring will again bring us to the birth of Pacific Harbor seal pups on our beaches in Del Norte and Humboldt counties. The pups weigh between 13 and 20 pounds and will have a velvety spotted coat. Pups that have been born prematurely will have shaggy white hair called a lanugo coat. Beach walkers often stumble across pups that have been left by their mothers to rest while they are out foraging for food. The pups can be left for up to 48 hours while the mother feeds at sea. This is why it is necessary for pups found to be observed for a minimum of 24 hours by trained staff and volunteers of the Northcoast Marine Mammal Center to ensure a pup is not incorrectly assessed as abandoned. Harbor seal mothers are very shy and have a stronger survival instinct than a maternal one. Mothers recognize their pups by scent and sound and a pup that has been removed from a specific location where its mother left it has a poor chance of reunion and, sometimes, survival. A returning mother that can not find her pup where she left it assumes that it has been taken by a predator and abandons it. They will not search for their pups. Harbor seal pups rely on milk from their mothers that is more than 50 percent fat content. As the nursing period lasts only about 30 days, the nutrients and antibodies passed on to the pup are essential for survival in the wild. Every year the Northcoast Marine Mammal Center rehabilitates harbor seal pups that have been needlessly taken from the beaches by well-intentioned people. A pup found on the beach should be left alone. The Marine Mammal Protection Act prohibits harassment of marine mammals and violators can be fined up to $20,000 and or one year in prison. Beach walkers who find a harbor seal pup and feel it may need assistance should contact the NMMC's rescue line at 707-465-MAML. A trained staff person or volunteer will be dispatched to the location to assess the animal's condition. Lanni Hall is director of the Northcoast Marine Mammal Center in Crescent City. |
Senior News