A number of harbor seal pups, without their mothers, are being spotted along the coast. The New England Aquarium says it has received dozens of calls from concerned citizens in just the last week.
"Harbor seals are born in May, but they're only nursed by their moms for about a month. So by the end of June, all those seal pups are turned loose by their mothers," explained Tony LaCasse of the New England Aquarium. "But they're young and inexperienced, so they'll often go to locations that are not the most isolated locations."
So by late June or early July, a lot more seal pups are spotted along the coast as they look for a place to get some rest before they officially venture out solo. Kurt Donovan recently spotted a seal pup in the Dorchester neighborhood of Boston.
"I was like, 'Oh the baby seal, the baby seal!' It started clapping and wiggling around, so I got a little closer. I took the video in case the aquarium needed it to see in case it might of been sick or anything," Donovan explained.
The New England Aquarium was called and Donovan waited until volunteers arrived.
"Apparently, the aquarium has volunteers that come out and sit with the baby seals so no one bothers it until it goes back in the water," said Donovan.
Experts say this time in the seal's life is very important.
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"It's crucial," LaCasse explained. "About 30 percent of harbor seal pups don't make it after the first year. That's just nature's design. But you're going to give it the greatest opportunity to survive if you don't disturb it."
