It’s seal season in Delaware, and the Marine Education, Research & Rehabilitation Institute (MERR) has some warnings for beachgoing Delawareans.
Delaware gets visited by four different types of seals: gray seals, harbor seals, harp seals, and very rarely, hooded seals.
Suzanne Thurman is the executive director at the MERR Institute. She says seals often come out of the water to rest.
“The time that we typically see them starts in November but it really peaks in March and April when we start seeing some of the pups that have recently been weaned from the moms,” Thurman explained. “They’re just little guys so they need to rest a lot and they come out of the water onto the beaches, onto docks, onto all manner of things.”
Thurman added that it’s important to let seals rest undisturbed for a number of reasons, and stresses not to approach the seal, or attempt to touch it in order to help it back into the water.
Seals are wild animals that could potentially bite if threatened, or spread disease through direct contact.
“Since we have so many people who do love to use the beach in winter and especially people who want to take their dogs to the beach, just a reminder to keep a distance of 150 feet at all times and to keep the dog on the leash,” she said.
If you see a seal, report sightings to MERR on its 24 hour hotline at (302) 228-5029.
Public reports are very useful in helping to document the presence of seals in Delaware waters, and in helping the MERR team to provide rescue for seals in need of veterinary treatment.
For more information, visit the MERR website.
