The NOAA Would Like You To Stop Taking Selfies With Seal Pups, Please And Thank You

The NOAA (National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration) is asking tourists to stop taking selfies with seal pups, saying that interfering with the adorable animals puts the tourists and the pups themselves at risk.

Making matters worse, it’s birthing season right now, meaning that the beaches of New England are chock full of the adorable little mammals, tempting tourists who can’t pass up the opportunity to get a quick selfie.

In a statement on the NOAA’s website, the agency cautions that there is “no selfie stick long enough” to safely take a selfie with a seal pup.

“As tempting as it might be to get that perfect shot of yourself or your child with an adorable seal pup, please do the right thing and leave the seal pup alone. Getting too close to a wild animal puts you—and the animal—at risk. Seals have powerful jaws, and can leave a lasting impression. We have received reports of a number of injuries to humans as a result of getting too close to an animal during a quick photo op. When you get too close to a wild animal, you risk stressing or threatening it, and stressed animals are much more likely to act unpredictably.”

Harbor seals, the most common type of seal found around New England, are not considered threatened from a conservation standpoint. But they are, however, wild animals who live according to their own rules. And while they’ve learned to coexist with mankind, that doesn’t mean they like having you around them or their young.

Harbor seal – Phoca vitulina by Rick-W pic.twitter.com/YOD6GX5B7i

— Beautiful photos (@BP_ED) May 31, 2016

And while seals aren’t known to attack humans, except in rare cases when they’re provoked (for example, by a tourist getting too close to them or their pups), when a seal attacks a human, it can be terrifying.

Tyrone Critchley tells Kidz World that a seal attacked him out of nowhere when he was swimming. The marine mammal bit him on the heel and then dragged him into the water.

“I was freaking. I swallowed a bunch of water and was just going nuts, screaming, throwing my arms around and kicking as hard as I could. It dragged me down a second time and I just ripped my foot out of its mouth and headed for shore.”

Tyler’s terrifying experience underscores the NOAA’s point: seals can be dangerous. Leave them alone.

Similarly, the NOAA would like to remind you that seal pups — and Mother Nature in general — don’t need your help.

If you see a seal pup in distress — crying or howling, for example — and his mother is nowhere to be found, don’t assume that the animal has been abandoned and try to “help” it. Mother seals can leave their young on the shore for up to 24 hours while they hunt. And while it may be upsetting to humans to witness, it’s part of how nature operates.

As CNET notes, when untrained humans try to “help” animals, they often do more harm than good.

For example, you may recall that recently, tourists at Yellowstone spotted a bison calf and tried to “help” the poor beast by putting it in their car.

500px Editors’ Choice : Young Bison Calf by sairamsankaran pic.twitter.com/nLATZqQImX

— Klaus Jensen (@klausjensendk) May 31, 2016

The animal was later rejected by its herd and had to be euthanized.

The NOAA asks that if you see a seal pup and are truly concerned that the animal is injured, sick, abandoned, or otherwise in danger, that you call 866-755-NOAA (6622).

In order to keep seal pups and yourself safe, the NOAA recommends that you keep at least 150 feet away from the animals at all times.

[Image via Shutterstock/davemhuntphotography]