Finding their flippers
“The pups are just roaming around. They can get tossed around in the sea and they come ashore for a bit of a rest,” he explains.
DOC has been flooded with calls from concerned onlookers, with some seriously bizarre behaviour on the part of the public.
“Some people try and wrap them up, take them home and call us. Others are concerned that they’re too skinny, but they’re just young and they’re working out how to fish for themselves. Also, a seal’s tear ducts weep but they are not crying,” says Simpson.
Everyone should observe seal-watching etiquette. Keep a distance of at least 20 metres and don’t approach them or feed them. Never get between a seal pup and its mother or between a seal and the sea. Dogs should be kept on leads and away from seals. And, need it be said, never wrap up a seal pup and take it home. They have serious teeth and can bite with up to 2 tonnes per cm’ pressure.
For more information go to the conservation and marine mammals section of www.doc.govt.nz.









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