What to do if you encounter a seal?
What to do if you encounter a seal?
Always let seals make the first move – let them approach you. Sit back, wait quietly and observe. Aim to stay calm and move slowly to avoid spooking the seals and provoking an aggressive response. Be confident that seals are generally gentle creatures unless they feel threatened.
Why are you not allowed to touch seals?
Seals are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act. It is against the law to touch, feed or otherwise harass seals. Harassment occurs whenever your behavior changes their behavior. The rule is to keep at least 50 yards, four car lengths, away — to give them their space.
How do you interact with seals?
Take a ‘hands off’ approach. We get a lot of requests every summer from members of the public requesting we step in or how they can help seals that appear to be injured. Your instinct may be to help, however seals aren’t puppies. Never attempt to touch a seal, no matter how cute they may look.
Can you cuddle with a seal?
So it turns out seals are avid (and somewhat aggressive) cuddle monsters. As shown by a San Diego seal in particular, seals don’t seem to discriminate with whom they choose for snuggle partners.
Will seals bite you?
Seals can bite, but usually as an act of self-defense. All animals equipped with teeth, beaks, or pincers can “bite” humans and other animals when they feel threatened or provoked, and so do seals. Most seals are not known to be aggressive. Seal attacks on humans are rare, but they are not new.
Is it OK to swim with seals?
“Seals are like toddlers, they will put anything in their mouth.” She added that seals carried diseases which were highly infectious to humans so even a small bite could cause serious harm. “You should never swim over to where they are because that’s when you get issues,” she said.
Is it OK to pet a seal?
The pups are adorable, are friendly and will approach humans, but touching a baby seal hurts the chances of it reuniting with its mother, Chandler said. He emphasized that people should feel free to take pictures from a distance, but to give the animal space and leave it alone.
Are wild seals friendly?
Whilst they are strong and powerful with huge teeth these are highly unlikely to be used aggressively towards you – playfully yes, but even then they can be incredibly gentle. Surprisingly, I would say that seals are pretty good at ‘reading’ your intent or body language as high level mammals.
What happens if you touch a seal?
Can I pet a seal?