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06/15/2006: "Leave Young Wildlife Alone"

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and SJ County Marine Mammal Stranding Network (SJCMMSN) urge that " Newborn wildlife found in the wild should be left alone, for both the health and safety of the animal and the people who find them"..

Dr. Rich Osborne, coordinator for the SJCMMSN, sent out a statement that: "Once again it's harbor seal pupping season in the islands – and a sensitive time for harbor seal moms and their pups. From now until mid-August, offshore rocks will be home to these moms and their pups… and any disturbance could result in harm or death to these animals, especially the pups.

The advice from the State is the same, where staff are said to be fielding calls regularly now across the state about young "abandoned" animals that need "rescuing." Deer fawns, seal pups, baby birds and other young wildlife are visible now and too often become the victims of well-intentioned but uninformed people. Deer fawns are most commonly discovered alone, assumed orphaned or abandoned, and picked up.

"Deer often leave their fawns for hours at a time to avoid drawing predators by their own adult body scent," said Dave Brittell, assistant director of the WDFW wildlife program. "They're usually nearby and may even helplessly watch their fawns be removed from the area.".

Brittell said that most people have no idea how to care for a wild animal with "fight or flight" instincts. "Even with the best intentions, people who remove animals from the wild reduce their chance of survival and put human handlers at risk," he said. It also violates state law that prohibits taking wildlife out of the wild, only allowing licensed wildlife rehabilitators to hold wildlife in captivity.

The SJCMMSN provides the following helpful information:


• Whether in a boat, a kayak, or on foot, avoid areas where seals rest. Do not ever approach closer than 100 yards and stay farther away than that if the seals acknowledge your presence by watching you, shifting positions, etc.
• Scaring seals off rocks can easily separate moms and pups. Just approaching them during this time is enough to scare them into the water.
• Lone pups will not survive; they will slowly starve to death.
• If you find a lone pup or a dead, injured or sick marine mammal, call The Whale Museum Hotline at 1-800-562-8832. Do not touch or try to move the animal, do not try to get it back into the water, and don't feed it. Do keep people and dogs away.
• Federal law prohibits the public from touching, feeding, harassing or hurting marine mammals. It's also illegal to take parts (i.e. skulls) off of a dead marine mammal on the beach.

"The important thing is to give seal moms and pups their space so strandings can be prevented," says Osborne.

The SJCMMSN is a volunteer organization administered by The Whale Museum in Friday Harbor and authorized by the National Marine Fisheries Service.