Seal Pup Found On East Hampton Property 'Far From Beach'

EAST HAMPTON, NY — A seal pup found herself having strayed a long way from the water recently.

According to Maxine Montello, rescue program director at the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Rearch and Preservation, on Jan. 20, a call came in from East Hampton Village Police, reporting a small female seal pup "that had found itself on someone’s property far from the beach."

RFMRP sent a team out and discovered it would be too far to herd the seal back into the water, Montello said.

And so, she added, a decision was made to capture the seal and relocate her.

"Once we place our hands on the animal our protocol is to provide a full physical — blood sample, provide fluids, etc.— and flipper tag the seal," Montello said. "Each seal that we release has a blue plastic tag on their hind left flipper with an individual number and on the other side, it has the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation’s contact information."

The pup, she said, weighed around 15 lbs. and was about 77.8 cm. in length. Since she was in good condition, the pup did not need to be admitted for long-term rehabilitation so ,after the physical, she was released at a local beach, Montello said.

Photos courtesy Maxine Montello, Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation.