A lone seal pup was rescued from Gonzales Beach on July 4 and is now in the care of the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Society (VAMMR).
When a member of VAMMR went to respond to a call from a concerned individual about a lone seal pup, she encountered an unfortunately common issue: human interference.
"When she arrived on site, there was actually someone sitting with the animal, petting it and attempting to pick it up and put it on their lap. And unfortunately, this isn't an unusual circumstance. Every year we have reports of marine mammal disturbance and human interference," said Emily Johnson, VAMMR assistant manager.
Johnson added the pup was very thin and appeared to have a potential eye issue. VAMMR likely would have had to collect the pup anyway, she said, but that human interference interfered with the opportunity to further assess the situation.
"After repeatedly asking the person to move away from the animal, having some discussion about marine mammal disturbance and the issues with that, we made the decision to collect the pup," said Johnson. "Sometimes you have to make the decision that's safest for the animal. And at that point, it wasn't leaving the animal there on the beach."
Johnson, who added the beach was very busy as well, emphasized this situation illustrates a much-needed message to the public: that distressed wildlife should be left alone and it's best to call VAMMR and let them handle the situation. However, Johnson can empathize with people feeling drawn to wildlife.
"I choose to believe that people genuinely want to do the right thing, but sometimes people become very emotionally attached to animals, especially seal pups. They're very cute, they have these big, big eyes," said Johnson. "It is easy to be driven by emotion and do the wrong thing."
The pup, since named Salty C., is now safe at the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Society, which rescues around 100 seal pups per year.
Salty C was first reported to VAMMR at 6 p.m. on July 3. They did not respond right away because it's not unusual for harbour seal pups to be found alone on beaches or rocky outcrops, Johnson explained. Mom seals need to go and forage to sustain lactation and can leave a pup on a beach for sometimes even a complete tide cycle.
That's why after receiving a report, VAMMR gathers information, including asking those who reported the pup to take photos. VAMMR then monitors the pup over some time, usually up to 24 hours, but dependent on multiple factors. For instance, an injured pup would result in an immediate rescue.
"These pups have their best chance of survival with mom, and we always make sure that we're only rescuing animals that are without mom or really do need to be rescued," Johnson said.
After being updated on the situation the morning of July 4, the pup was still in the same location. VAMMR proceeded to reach out to their responder network and had a Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea employee, Kit Thornton, a previous VAMMR employee who is a registered veterinary technician and marine biologist, go to take a look.
Human interference is something the organization unfortunately sees each year.
"The most heartbreaking ones are healthy pups that have to be collected," Johnson said. "I've rescued pups out of people's bathtubs before."
The rescue centre is an independent registered charity working in partnership with the Vancouver Aquarium. It's Canada's only dedicated marine mammal facility, with veterinary, animal care and volunteer teams on staff.
Salty C was transported there quickly by Harbour Air.
"They transport a number of our harbour seal pups every year in kind. We're just so incredibly lucky to have their support."
Johnson mentioned that animals are not rescued until they have a transport plan fully in place.
People can monitor the condition of current animal patients thanks to the organization's website, MMRpatients.org. Salty C's profile will likely be up in a few days, Johnson said. People can also donate to the organization. Salty C will stay at the facility throughout his rehabilitation.
If one sees someone handling an animal in distress and is unsure if they are working with VAMMR, Johnson said they can always ask the person. She added they do not have identifiers that let people know they are with the VAMMR, but added that a pin could be a great idea.
But her most important advice?
"Stay back, don't disturb, keep other pets and animals away, give us a call so that we can do some investigating," said Johnson.
To report sick, injured or abandoned marine mammal, call VAMMR at 604-258-SEAL (7325) or call 1-800-465-4336 for large whales and other marine mammal incidents.