Harp Seal Rescue at Cape Henlopen State Park in Lewes
Members of the Marine Education Research and Rehabilitation (MERR) Institute rescued a stranded harp seal earlier this week at Cape Henlopen State Park in Lewes. According to MERR, the one-year-old female had a few minor injuries and was slightly underweight but alert. She had been eating a little bit of sand. If you encounter a seal resting on the beach or elsewhere, MERR asks that you contact them immediately at 302-228-5029, and keep a distance of 150 feet from the animal.
Additional Information from MERR:
Visiting seals have continued to keep the Marine Education Research and Rehabilitation (MERR)
Institute occupied. On Monday, March 4, members rescued a stranded harp seal at Cape Henlopen
State Park in Lewes.
The one-year-old female had a few minor injuries and was slightly underweight but alert. “She had
been eating a little bit of sand,” said MERR Executive Director Suzanne Thurman. “Harp seals are
prone to doing this because they are used to licking ice and snow in their frozen ecosystem.”
Members of MERR were able to coax the seal safely into a carrier and deliver it to the National
Aquarium’s triage center in Ocean City, Maryland, for additional care.
In the last few weeks, MERR has responded to a total of 13 seals on Delaware beaches, all of which
needed rescue and five of which were harp seals, which are rather uncommon locally.
MERR has been naming seals after flowers this year and decided to name her “Snapdragon” based
on her feisty attitude.
If the public encounters a seal resting on the beach or elsewhere, please call MERR immediately at
302.228.5029, and keep a distance of 150 feet from the animal. Please keep dogs on a leash for the
well-being of both the seal and the dog. Seals spend about half their lives on land and often exit the
water to sleep. This rest is integral to their survival, regardless of their age, as females will often go
for weeks without consuming food while they are nursing. Approaching seals closely not only
frightens them but adds stress and may cause them to retreat into the water without the necessary
rest.
For more information on seals or any other marine mammal or sea turtle that frequents Delaware
waters, or for general information about MERR Institute, visit merrinsitute.org.
