Harbor seal pupping season requires public education to prevent well-intentioned humans from harming seal pups.
Seal pup abandonment due to human disturbance is a major and preventable welfare problem. A pup left alone on a beach is almost always healthy and waiting for its mother — not stranded. When humans approach too closely, the mother observing from the water perceives threat and may not return. Dog approach almost always causes abandonment. Genuinely stranded pups (thin, dehydrated, with visible injuries, alone for more than 24 hours) need expert assessment. The appropriate response is to observe from at least 50 meters, keep dogs away, and call a marine mammal rescue organization if genuinely concerned.