Napping Seal Attacked By Crows, Falls Into Hole In Ocean City

OCEAN CITY, NJ — A young seal was rescued after an attack by a flock of crows sent her falling through a hole at the jetty where she was napping.

The female Grey seal was enjoying a midday nap on Wednesday on the jetty at 5th Street and the Boardwalk in Ocean City, according to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center. (Watch video of the rescue here)

A local volunteer went to check on the seal, who was determined to be in good condition while resting on the midpoint of the jetty, "in a perfect spot to not be easily noticed as she enjoyed her nap," center officials said.

Stranding Center volunteer Dawn stayed on site to monitor the seal from the distance to make sure no one would approach her.

However, two hours later, the young seal's relaxing nap was interrupted by a flock of crows, who mobbed her and pecked her head, center officials said.

Agitated, the seal began to retreat from the crows but suddenly disappeared, officials said.

Volunteer Dawn climbed onto the jetty to find that the seal had slipped down into a narrow gap in the rocks, where she was too far down to escape on her own and at risk of drowning with the incoming tide, the center said.

Stranding Technician Emma and Assistant Director Michele were immediately dispatched to the scene.

They found that the seal had dropped down four feet below the top of the jetty in a narrow shaft, just out of arm's reach, the center said.

Emma tried climbing down the hole, but it was too narrow to rescue the seal safely, officials said.

Ocean City police were dispatched to use their catch pole, normally used for dogs.

Emma covered the agitated seal's head with a towel and used the pole shift her into a better position. Then, using the pole to loop and raise the seal's flippers, the team finally was able to reach her, officials said.

She grabbed the seal's rear flippers and with the assistance of Sgt. Swillo, the seal was pulled free of the rocks as Michele and Dawn maneuvered her into the net.

The seal was taken to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center for an assessment and thankfully suffered no injuries throughout the ordeal. She was healthy and marked with a nontoxic livestock marker that will fade over time so the center can identify her if she hauls out onto another beach over the next few weeks.

On Wednesday night, the seal was taken to a wildlife area "where she made her return to the freedom of the ocean," the center said.