Man saves baby seal

[Baitball Blogger]

[intrepidity]

1. ...

Stop Trying To Rescue Baby Animals, Wildlife Officials Warn

https://www.buzzfeed.com/jasonwells/stop-picking-up-baby-animals-in-the-wild?utm_term=.ixVYoa1dG#.cx823NELM

[SeattleVet]

2. Unfortunately, rather than saving it, they probably condemned it to death.

What these guys did was highly illegal - marine mammals are heavily protected, and should never be approached or touched. The mother probably left it there while she went to hunt for food; this is a very common event. That baby should not be in the water alone at this age. It is unable to hunt or defend itself.

If you do find an 'abandoned' or 'stranded' baby marine mammal, leave it alone and keep others at least 50 feet away from it. Contact the professionals that are trained in the proper care and handling of these animals; many beaches now have signage regarding approaching marine mammals, with contact information.

Chances are very good that the mother would not have been able to find and feed her offspring after these guys took it from where she had left it, and it would have either starved or been taken by a predator.

Here is information from the Marine Mammal Center about how to properly handle the situation:

http://www.marinemammalcenter.org/what-we-do/rescue/what-we-do-if-you-find-a.html

[Fla Dem]

3. Should have called for beach rescue or police. Agree, should not have removed.

I know they thought they were doing something good, but......