SANDWICH, MASS. (WHDH) - Six rehabilitated harbor seal pups will be released back into the wild off Scusset Beach State Reservation in Sandwich Thursday evening.
The seals were rescued and brought to the National Marine Life Center because each had been separated from their mothers.
“Harbor seal moms leave their pups on the beach to rest while the moms go offshore to feed. Sometimes well-meaning interference by humans who think the pup has been abandoned can scare the seal mom away permanently, and thus cause separation to occur,” NMLC’s President and Executive Director Kathy Zagzebski said in a press release.
When the pups arrived at the animal center, they were said to be maternally dependent, meaning they could not survive on their own. Staffers and volunteers taught them how to swim and eat fish.
“The pups didn’t have their mothers to teach them these critical life lessons,” NMLC’s Animal Care Manager Lisa Becker said.
The seals — Charles, Parker, Nemasket, Magalloway, Moose, and Allagash — will be released at 6 p.m.
Officials are reminding beachgoers to stay at least 150 feet away from beached seals and to call their local stranding organization or the police if the animal is sick or injured.
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