BELLINGHAM — A rehabilitated harbor seal pup that was rescued from Point Roberts was released back to the wild at Larrabee State Park on Friday after 75 days in care.
The male harbor seal was brought into care on June 10 after it was found alone on Lily Point Beach in Point Roberts.
A nonprofit called SR3 (Sealife Response, Rehabilitation and Research) took in the harbor seal pup after it was called into the Whatcom Marine Mammal Stranding Network.
“People were carrying the pup around, taking it out to try and teach it how to swim. Sometimes the public will take things into their own hands if they think they’re doing the right thing, which, unfortunately, is not the right thing to be doing,” said SR3 Executive Director and Veterinary Nurse Casey Mclean.
Mclean said these actions by the public may have led the harbor seal’s mother to abandon the pup. That’s where SR3 stepped in.
“He was less than 10 days old, so still very dependent on mom,” Mclean said.
The pup was stabilized by the WMMSN, transported to the SR3 rehabilitation facility, and supported in care until he was determined healthy enough to be released.
The pup grew from about 18 pounds when he was admitted to SR3 to about 50 pounds when he was released.
The mission behind the work
SR3 opened in 2021 as the first marine animal hospital in the Pacific Northwest. The center is located in Des Moines, Washington, south of Seattle.
They mainly treat harbor seal pups because they have such a large population and are frequently encountered by humans. But the center treats all kinds of marine animals including harbor purposes, elephant seals and sea turtles.
“We can care for animals anywhere from the tiniest of harbor seal pups, all the way up to a 1,000-pound sea lion,” Mclean told The Herald.
Mclean says she did not intend to operate a center like this when she moved to the Pacific Northwest in 2010. But she quickly discovered she could fill an unmet need.
“Frankly, I was shocked at the lack of resources to help marine mammals when they were sick, injured, entangled. And there were also a lot of gaps in research with them as well,” Mclean said.
Mclean told The Herald that she feels called to do this work to support the animals impacted by issues caused by humans. She says humans play a role in everything from dog bites, boat hits, and water toxins to a lack of food due to overfishing or climate change.
“This is kinda my heart and soul,” Mclean said. “Everything that we’re seeing with them is due to human impact so I think it’s our responsibility to help them.”
Federal wildlife protection
Marine mammal harassment is prohibited by federal law and includes:
- Acts of pursuit, annoyance, or disturbance that might injure or disturb an animal.
- Touching, feeding, ‘coddling,’ or otherwise interacting with the animal.
- Any act that has the potential to disrupt behavioral patterns such as feeding.
To report a marine mammal that may be deceased or in distress, call the Whatcom Human Society Wildlife Center at (360) 966-8845. If the call is made outside of regular business hours, leave a message with a phone number where you can be called back.
