A mild winter means Maritimers may spot more seals on land: Wildlife experts

Spotting a seal resting on a beach or shoreline may cause a crowd to gather, but wildlife experts in Nova Scotia are sharing a timely reminder for curious spectators.

“When you come across a seal, it’s important to keep your distance,” said Tonya Wimmer, the executive director of the Marine Animal Response Society (MARS). “These are wild animals.”

It’s seal pupping season in the region, and while it’s common to see the marine mammals on our coastlines from now until spring, we may see even more this year.

“When we have milder winters and less sea ice, we often will get more seals coming ashore. We sometimes get really large aggregations of seals all in similar areas having their pups.”

Contrary to popular belief, not all species of seals are born instinctively able to swim. Depending on the animal, Wimmer says they can be out of the water for weeks at a time.

“To try to scare them back in the water not only stresses them, but also may be putting them in harm’s way as they may not be great swimmers.”

Over the years, there have been seals sighted in unusual places -- sometimes a fair distance away from shore.

“Even though they don’t look like adept walkers on land, they can actually travel quite a ways,” said Wimmer. “We’ve had calls of animals who are really far inland on farmers’ fields. Sometimes they’ve gone up a river and then climbed out. Other times they’ve just walked the kilometre or so.”

A seal pup lays on rocks. (Source: Marine Animal Response Society/Facebook)

However, Wimmer is reminding people not every pup seen alone and out of the water needs to be rescued.

“The mom actually goes back and forth to feed the pup, so people often think that the animal has been abandoned but it’s actually normal for them to be alone.”

But there are some key signs to look out for.

“What we're looking for are the seals that seem very lethargic. They don’t move, even when you pass by them. They might be lying on their stomachs and very flat. You may even hear them coughing or see some discharge. That’s when we want to get a phone call.”

A seal pup lays on a bed of grass. (Source: Marine Animal Response Society/Facebook)

MARS is a Nova Scotia-based charitable organization focused on animal conservation through response, research and engagement.

Anyone who spots a seal pup in distress is asked to contact the organization at 1-866-567-6277.