Recent seal rescues by the MERR Institute remain abnormally high.
The MERR Institute says they have responded to 13 reports of seals on Delaware’s beaches in the last three weeks, all of which needed rescue, and five of which were harp seals, which are not typically seen so frequently in Delaware.
And Executive Director Suzanne Thurman says a 14th report was made later Tuesday afternoon, but they have not been able to reach and access the seal yet.
“One of them is on the banks of the Broadkill River, we can’t access it, somebody saw it by boat, so we are hoping to get another sighting of that one or some good photographs to help us make that assessment," Thurman says. "All of the seals that have shown up, out of those 14 seals, all of them have been in need.”
The latest rescue on Monday at Cape Henlopen State Park was a slightly underweight, one-year-old female with minor injuries.
Members of MERR were able to coax the seal safely into a carrier and deliver it to the National Aquarium’s triage center in Ocean City, Maryland, for additional care.
Thurman says there are several reasons why so many seals have needed assistance recently, including high-tide flooding events that wash pups away from their mothers, and aggressive, territorial male behavior that can lead to injury and death of the pups.
And Thurman adds it could grow worse.
“Traditionally, March is our busiest month and then going into mid-April," she says. "And so it really kicked in early with all of these harp seals as well as a couple of harbor seals and a few gray seals, so we’ve had quick the spike in February before our busy month even gets started.”
Thurman says beachgoers who spot a seal in the sand should call MERR regardless of whether the seal appears in distress – MERR will send a team to monitor the seal’s behavior and assess its condition.
She adds it is critical to not approach a seal and keep any pets leashed.
