Found in the Clutter – Harp Seal

Found in a folder from 2019. It’s not a bird but who can pass up that face.

This Harp Seal was resting on a public beach with a human attendant on hand to assure its comfort. The human was from an agency that assists marine mammals and was there to remind people to give the seal its space.

Photographed at Salisbury Beach, Massachusetts in January 2019.

Seals will climb out onto a beach now and then but they are usually just resting. Well-meaning humans may try to “help” it but that just stresses the seal. People and dogs should stay clear. (I took this photo from several meters away.) Here in New England, state wildlife agencies, animal organizations or local officials, such as Animal Control, can contact someone that has been specifically trained to assess the seal’s health and arrange aid if needed. Otherwise, as in this case, they will just protect the seal until it decides to return to the water.