Parks Canada is investigating a woman who found a seal pup in distress on Vancouver Island last weekend and tried to rescue it.
The woman was hiking the West Coast Trail in Pacific Rim National Park when she found the baby seal beached on Sunday. The pup was missing an eye, and appeared to be near-death.
She somehow managed to remove the seal from the park, brought it aboard a boat, and took it to Port Renfrew. The hiker then checked into a hotel with the seal in tow, and contacted the Vancouver Aquarium to take over.
Though her efforts may have saved the pup’s life, they were also illegal.
Parks Canada’s Nathan Cardinal said people need permission to remove an animal from a national park, and the well-meaning hiker could be facing a fine.
“We’re not assuming she’s doing it for any sort of nefarious purpose, but that seal pup does play a role in the natural world... and can act as an important food source for other species,” Cardinal said.
“Death isn’t a pretty thing to see – it can be quite brutal in some instances – but it has an important role for the ecosystem.”
Cougars, wolves, bears, killer whales and even flies rely on marine mammals for sustenance, he added.
Instead of removing distressed animals, park users are encouraged to keep their distance and contact Parks Canada. Cardinal said staff members follow up on all reports.
Vancouver Aquarium head veterinarian Martin Haulena also discouraged the public from intervening with a distressed animal outside national parks, urging people to contact the Marine Mammal Rescue Team instead.
“Often there’s nothing wrong with these animals at all. They’re waiting for mom to come back from foraging, they’re learning how to forage on their own,” Haulena said.
The recued female harbour seal pup is under 24-hour care at the Marine Mammal Rescue Recovery Centre. Veterinarians say it's too early to know if it will survive.
