Changing weather could be the reason for double weekend seal rescues on P.E.I.

A young seal snarled at traffic on a roadway in Murray Harbour, P.E.I., on Friday. It took police half an hour to get the animal back to the nearby beach.

Just hours later, they were called to move another seal from a road in Beach Point, a few minutes down the road, that animal was returned to the shore as well.

It’s pupping season for grey seals in the Northumberland Strait. Normally that would happen on the ice. Baby seals can’t swim, so they need to be born on a solid surface.

If mother seals can’t find a solid surface, baby seals may die, according to Sara Iverson, Dalhousie University biologist.

“Pup mortality is very high in low ice years," said Iverson.

The Gulf of St. Lawrence also had the third-lowest ice coverage for January since Environment and Climate Change Canada began keeping records in the 1968-69 season, according to the Monthly Weather and Climate Summary bulletin for the Maritimes.

That means it’s more likely for seals to be born on land and, therefore, more likely to end up interacting with people, Iverson said.

“Seals, all species, spend a fair amount of time out of the water, and so it’s not unusual for them to be crawling around,” said Iverson. “It is obviously unusual to find them on a highway, and I’m sure that’s not where they intend to be.”

The officer who moved the seal said it was between 55 and 75 pounds.

Iverson said that’s about half the weight a freshly weaned pup should be, so either the animal was weaned off early or has been weaned for some time and has lost the blubber it built up when it was still drinking its mother’s milk.

She said that if you come across a seal on a roadway, it’s best to call the authorities to come handle it. Seal bites are prone to infection and can be dangerous.

For more Prince Edward Island news visit our dedicated provincial page.