HARPSWELL, Maine — Volunteers with Marine Mammals of Maine are keeping people back from a baby seal pup onshore at Old Orchard Beach.
The problem is rescuers said there’s nowhere for that seal to go.
Right now, there are four seal pups at Marine Mammals of Maine’s triage center. They’re the only ones the center can take in because the rehab centers that get them next are all full.
The triage center in Harpswell is the only one in Maine.
Marine Mammals of Maine created it after the closing of the University of New England’s rehab center two years ago.
At the center, staff and volunteers work to stabilize sick, injured or abandoned seals before they make the long trip to be rehabilitated.
The closest rehab facilities are in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, and Mystic, Connecticut.
Marine Mammals of Maine’s director said that while they’d like to take more pups in, they can only take as many as the rehab centers have spots for.
The organization said it is working on getting funds to create a rehab center of its own so it doesn’t have to send animals out of state, but it’s going to take some time.
Marine Mammals of Maine said it does have a hotline to call if you see a seal pup on the beach so the organization can start monitoring it. That number is 800-532-9551.
Marine Mammals of Maine said the best thing to do is to stay away, as the closer you get, the more stressed the pups get, and the greater chance their mom won’t return.