(see update end of story) Seal Sitters is so sad to report that our first pup of the year, Tiny, died on Arroyo Beach yesterday afternoon. Tiny had rested there all day Wednesday, returning to the water briefly, only to haul out again on a timber in the water until after dark. Early in the morning, Tiny was reported gone. Our responder hiked and scoured a huge expanse of beach almost to Brace Point, as well as beaches to the south. However, Tiny was sleeping tucked in among some rocks at the sea wall, unseen. Later that afternoon, he was discovered by a homeowner who called the hotline. Tiny died trying to return to the Sound as our volunteers arrived on scene.

Yesterday morning Seal Sitters assisted in the necropsy by WDFW Marine Mammal Investigations of an adult female seal just north of Lowman Beach. The female was postpartum and WDFW’s biologist estimated that the seal had given birth approximately 10 or so days before. This would very closely match the estimated age of Tiny when he showed up at the north end of Lincoln Park, just a short distance away. While we cannot say with certainty that the female was indeed his mom, it seems quite likely. Our investigator was troubled that the pup was not gaining weight if indeed he was being nursed; however, his pattern of returning to the water, traveling a fair distance to Arroyo Beach south of the park, and the fact that an adult seal had been seen on the platform offshore all contributed to the possibility that he had a mom around. With limited resources for rehabilitation in our area (in addition to the low success rates of rehabbing a newborn pup) it is always best for a pup to remain in the wild with mom if at all possible. Such a small pup needs mom to teach foraging skills to survive in the wild; while rehabbers do an amazing job, those innate survival skills cannot be taught by humans tossing fish in a small pool. A pup always has his best chance of survival with mom’s tutelage on how to forage successfully for food, all the while nursing on her rich milk.

A necropsy will be performed on the pup and we will provide updates to cause of death for both seals as results become available. This is, by far, the hardest part of the work we do. This little seal brought great joy to our volunteers and neighbors who watched over him. Tiny’s short life enlightened many to the struggles that seal pups face and the urgent need to let them rest. We are terribly sad, but heartened to know that we will have many success stories over the next months.

NECROPSY RESULTS 8/15/11: Tiny, a male pup, weighed 10 kg (approx 22 lbs) and had a very thin blubber layer.

Tags: Tiny

Seal Sitters’ investigator responded to a report of a small pup on a private beach south of the Fauntleroy ferry early this morning. The pup was alert, but resting comfortably on the beach and snoozed off and on over the two hours our volunteer observed. She noticed what appeared to be a bit of umbilicus and, sure enough, upon downloading photos and comparing facial spots, the pup is indeed Tiny, the newborn seal pup who spent yesterday morning at Lincoln Park. The homeowner had observed an adult seal on a platform offshore early this morning, so let’s keep our flippers crossed that Tiny has a foraging mom who sought a safer spot to leave her pup.

Concerned and respectful neighbors spread the word that there was a resting pup and for dog owners to please keep their dogs off the beach.

Tags: Tiny

A very small seal pup visited West Seattle’s Lincoln Park this morning. We received a report on the hotline of a pup at the south end of the park, but there was no pup when our responder arrived. As she was headed out of the park, another call came in reporting a pup on shore at the north end. Seal Sitters established a “protected marine mammal” tape perimeter around the pup and proceeded to monitor him. This little seal, our first of the season, has been nicknamed (appropriately enough) Tiny. There is a good chance Tiny is a newborn pup as it appeared upon examination of photos that there was a small remnant of umbilicus cord. Images have been sent to WDFW’s marine mammal biologist for feedback regarding this. Tiny rested comfortably on the beach for several hours before returning to the Sound at high tide. We are hopeful that there is a mom in the picture taking care of this sweet nursing-age pup.

Please be on the lookout for Tiny. The pebbled coat provides excellent camouflage on the beach, so be alert as you walk along. If you see him, please make sure to keep people and dogs away and call our hotline @ 206-905-SEAL (7325). It is imperative that a nursing pup not be scared back into the water, venturing off to another location where mom can’t find him. The pup does not have the means to survive on his own.

UPDATE 8/10/11 5:38am
It has been verified that the pup has a small stub of umbilicus and is estimated at little more than a week old. Many thanks to WDFW’s Dyanna Lambourn for her on-going expertise and help advising Seal Sitters in matters of health concerns!

Tags: Tiny

Seal Sitters MMSN and the NW Marine Mammal Stranding Network are featured on the Washington Ferries website “Spotlight” this month. There is a link to the public service announcement which Seal Sitters produced for the region. This is tremendous visibility for the network - the message to give seals space and call the local stranding network will be viewed by thousands of travelers in Puget Sound.

Thanks so much to Marta, Jayne, Laura and Joy of WSDOT for helping us get this vital message out! Check out Spotlight here.

Tags: PSA

Each year, seal pups are taken for rehabilitation to PAWS in Lynnwood and Wolf Hollow on San Juan Island, the two excellent, but limited resources for our region. Pups are removed from the wild due to human interference, endangerment or compromised health. In a Seattle Times article by Lynda Mapes published yesterday, a study being conducted by SeaDoc Society shows that rehabbed seal pups behave quite differently than those who have lived solely in the wild, in particular their foraging patterns - evidence that a pup should always remain with his mom whenever possible to learn the skills to survive. The decision to remove a seal pup from the beach is one that is weighed heavily by stranding experts. Read the article here.

Many thanks to Lynda for keeping seal pups in the forefront of the news and for giving Seal Sitters a nice mention. Lynda has been a great ally of our network over the past few years.

Tags: rehabilitation