Parks Canada advises against trying to help seal pups who look sick or abandoned

Parks Canada has issued a reminder that the best way to help a seal pup that looks sick or abandoned is to leave it alone. 

The organization says that every summer, they receive numerous reports from concerned visitors thinking they have found an injured, sick or abandoned harbour seal pup.

These reports come frequently from along the shores of Gulf Islands National Park Reserve, Fisgard Lighthouse National Historic Site or Pacific Rim National Park Reserve surrounding Vancouver Island. 

“In almost all cases, these pups are healthy and simply waiting for their mothers to return,” said Parks Canada in a media release. 

“While driven by compassion, well-intentioned attempts to help, such as approaching, touching or returning a seal pup to the water, actually disrupt the mother-pup bond and can reduce the pup’s chances of survival.”

Parks Canada also advised against having off-leash dogs around seal pups and other wildlife as they can startle, disturb and in some cases hurt the pups. 

All national parks require dogs to be on leash for exactly this reason. Parks Canada often conducts targeted on-leash law enforcement throughout the visitor season to help enforce this rule. 

According to BC SPCA, harbour seal pupping season in BC typically runs from late May through September. During these months, mothers will come ashore on sandy beaches and rocky outcrops around Vancouver Island to give birth and nurse their single pups for between four and six weeks.