WATCH: How do you know when wildlife is in need of help and when it’s better to leave them alone. Linda Aylesworth has more on the do’s and don’ts of marine mammal rescue.
VANCOUVER – A young seal pup, with the umbilical cord still attached, has been rescued by the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Centre.
The harbour seal pup, ‘Oxygen’, was found in North Vancouver at the Mosquito Creek Marina.
She was exhausted and trying to suckle on objects, meaning she had not eaten in a while. Crews from the rescue centre came to the marina Tuesday morning and brought her back to their facility.
“Summertime is our busiest time of year,” said Lindsaye Akhurst with the Marine Mammal Rescue Centre. “And that’s because it’s puppy season. Then next biggest reason why is because people are on the beaches observing these animals.”
“The biggest thing is know is that if you are observing an animal that you feel is in need of rescuing is to call us,” she added. “Keep people and pets away from the animal, we want to make sure that we give mom a chance to come back.”
Akhurst said people should not attempt to rescue any of these animals themselves, despite how cute they may look.
WATCH: Reporter Linda Aylesworth helped rescue a baby seal, found abandoned near Mosquito Creek Marina in North Vancouver
She added that Oxygen was very lethargic in the water and was underweight. “That long umbillicus on her too means that she’s only maybe a day or so old, so mom is not around right now and she should be.”
They don’t know what happened to the pup’s mom at this time.
The Marine Mammal Rescue Centre is gearing up for a busy season and are expecting lots of calls from the public.
Tips on what you should do if you see a marine mammal that is in distress. You can call the Marine Mammal Rescue Centre at 604-258-SEAL (7325).
– With files from Linda Aylesworth
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