Found a seal pup alone
It's not unusual to see a seal pup by itself. Seal mums leave their pups very early on in life when they're weaned at three to four weeks old. Here's how to tell if a seal needs your help.
What to do if you find a baby seal alone
Too many seal pups are taken into captivity because people mistakenly think they've been abandoned.
If you find a seal pup that looks fit and healthy and shows no signs of distress, monitor first from a safe distance for 24 hours.
How to tell if a seal pup needs help
Baby seals can be separated from their mothers by storms, and others may not feed properly for some reason and need help. An easy way to tell if they need help is:
- A healthy seal pup looks like a big, stuffed maggot without a neck.
- An unhealthy seal pup looks thin (but not bony) and has a visible neck, like a dog.
If the mother doesn't return within 24 hours, or you think that the pup is sick or injured, please keep a safe distance and contact us on 0300 1234 999.
Don't try to rescue, handle or transport the seal yourself. Because cruelty and neglect calls are our top priority, it might take us longer than we’d like to help this seal. We appreciate your understanding.
Seal pups bite!
Three reasons to keep away from seals:
- They can give a nasty bite, which will become infected by the bacteria that live in a seal's mouth.
- Don't allow dogs or other animals to harass a seal - it could be scared back into the water and washed out to sea by strong currents.
- Never put a seal pup back in the sea as it may get into difficulty.
