07/22/2026
It’s seal pup season🥰. Please do not approach pups on the beach, do not attempt to head them into the water as they are waiting for their mom where she left them, and they should not be heading off swimming on their own.
❤️❤️❤️ 🦭 🦭 🦭 ❤️❤️❤️
Did you know that once a month we have an article in the Gabriola Sounder?
Each month, we use this wonderful community newspaper to help Gabriolans coexist peacefully with our lovely wildlife, that also call this island home. Some months we may share a heartfelt story of rescue, other months it is tips and education.
Last week our article was on the beloved Harbour Seal.
(We did have one little error...in the article it is written 250-247-7101 as our emergency number...oops! It is actually as you see in the footer, 250-714-7101.)
"It’s Seal Pup Season
Maaa, maaa, maaaaaa. If you have heard that noise in a low squeaky kind of way, while near the waters edge, you are hearing a Harbour Seal pup.
July and August are birthing months for our wild Harbour Seal population. What a special time it is.
As the pups are learning to be a seal and navigate life in the Salish Sea, their mothers will often leave them in a safe place at a low tide while they go hunt for food. This is how they do it as the pup is too young and small to join. The mothers are trusting that all will be well when they return.
If you happen to come across a seal pup on the beach, please keep your distance and make sure that your dog is leashed and under control. This is a most sensitive time on our shores and we want to ensure the safety of these little ones.
Should you have any concern for these precious beings, please give our emergency number a call at 250-714-7101. We can send someone out to monitor the situation and be able to determine if the pup needs rescuing, or not.
We have already received a call regarding a seal pup this summer and we do our best to help educate our community on what to do when/if you do encounter one. If you notice that the pup is very wrinkly and with almond shaped eyes, that is a definite sign of malnutrition. Meaning, that pup has been orphaned and momma is not coming back. Many reasons this happens, one of them being that they may have just been lunch for an Orca…ah, the circle of life.
Hope everyone is enjoying some sweet summer swims in the ocean, just like our beloved seals."
