Arctic Seal, 'Rolo', Rescued Off Babylon Village Dock

BABYLON, NY — An injured animal recently "sealed" the hearts of Babylon Village residents.

On March 1, Environmental Conservation Police received a call of a potentially injured seal on a boat ramp, nicknamed "Sealia" by residents.

After observing the seal, officers contacted the New York Marine Rescue Center to report the animal's condition and behavior.

Despite its name, experts at the rescue center, who determined the seal was likely a male harp seal visiting from arctic waters, advised that these types of seals stress easily.

"When stressed, the seals tend to consume sand and rocks that can damage their digestive systems" the Department of Environmental Conservation said.

Officers and Village of Babylon Code Enforcement then set up a 150 perimeter around the boat launch to protect the seal from curious bystanders, who had gathered to take pictures.

Maxine Montello, rescue program director, told Patch that the Marine Mammal Protection Act mandates that people stay 150 feet away from marine animals.

"It's really important that people do not get too close to these animals, because once you're going to change their behavior, which is considered technically harassing that animal," she said. "We don't want people to feed them, we don't want people to try to touch them, because all of that can stress that animal out, and then cause larger issues."

On March 3, the arctic seal was transferred to the rescue facility and treated for dehydration.Montello told Patch that after a health evaluation, the seal was not injured, but had been out of the water for some time.

The seal, which has since been renamed "Rolo", had become a public spectacle by residents, she said, and would be best evaluated at the center.

Rolo is now eating whole fish on his own — a great step towards being released back into the wild, Montello said.

"We're actually hoping to get the animal approved for release in the next coming weeks," she said.

The rescue center will announce on social media when Rolo will be released into the wild.

If one ever witnesses a seal or marine animal out of water, Montello said that the best thing to do is to give it space and to call the rescue center's 24-hour phone number.

"If people interact with seals, or dolphins or whales, we encourage them to call that 24 hour hotline," she said. "Call the hotline to speak to one of our experts, and then we'll provide guidance on next steps if we think that the animal needs to come to us or if it's okay to just monitor in the field."

If you see a marine animal in distress, call the hotline at: 631-369-9829.

The New York Marine Rescue Center is a non-profit organization dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of marine animals on Long Island. Located in Riverhead, the rescue center depends on donations to continue its work.

To learn more about the rescue center and to consider making a donation, click here.