Seal Pup Rescued From Road In Point Pleasant Beach

POINT PLEASANT BEACH, NJ — A grey seal pup that found its way to Baltimore Avenue is recovering in the care of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, the center announced.

The young female seal was discovered just before 10 p.m. on Jan. 12 on the sidewalk by a jogger, the center said in a Facebook post.

The center's staff believes the seal "had likely breached the flooded bulkhead at Lake Louise during the coastal storm," and made her way to the middle of the road.

Two staff members from the center drove from Brigantine to Point Pleasant Beach during the storm and picked her up from the Point Pleasant Beach Police Department, then drove back to Brigantine, arriving at the center at 1:30 a.m.

The pup was moved into the center's intensive care and given a mixture of formula and electrolyte solution for hydration, and the center's veterinarian examined her.

The pup was lethargic and "very thin, with an intake weight of only 27.4 pounds," the center said.

Because the seal still has part of the white coat she was born with, called lanugo, they estimate she is about 4 weeks old. She is being assist-fed fish and tube feeding continues as a way to maintain her hydration, because the pup is not yet eating on her own.

"Currently the pup is in guarded condition," the center staff wrote in the post published Jan. 17.

The center is urging people to keep themselves and their pets at least 150 feet away from any seals they see on the beach, to avoid causing stress to the animals.

"Seals must rest on land to regain their energy after long bouts of swimming and diving as they hunt for fish to eat, and they know when to return to the water on their own," the center said. "Approaching or forcing seals into the water causes stress and may lead to injury. Sick, injured or exhausted seals can even drown! Please give the seals a break this winter and let them rest undisturbed."

If you see a seal, call the center's 24-hour hotline at 609-266-0538 to report sightings.