High rate of marine mammal rescues involve human, dog harassment; 8 on Sonoma County beaches in 2022

Sionna the harbor seal pup was rescued from Bolinas Beach after visitors picked it up, put it on a surfboard, restrained the animal from getting into the water, and then, after a number of people handled it, tried to push it into the surf.

The rehabilitated pup, named by center staff, later was released back to the wild.

Another animal wasn’t as lucky.

Visitors to The Sea Ranch found a nursing-aged seal pup, later named Snowcone, at Shell Beach, where it likely was resting while its mother foraged. They carried it to another area where unleashed dogs were playing, including one that apparently attacked it, resulting in its death.

And in Bodega Bay, a short-beaked common dolphin washed ashore alive, but beachgoers repeatedly dragged it back to the water. The dolphin eventually died.

The three cases are among the more than 150 incidents, including eight in Sonoma County and 12 in Marin County, in which beachgoers tried to move seals and other federally protected wildlife from one place to another.

That human interference, as well as harassment from unleashed dogs, contributed to more than a fourth of all rescues by the Marine Mammal Center, according to the latest statistics released by the Sausalito-based organization.

Many of those cases involved actual hands-on contact, including petting, attempts at feeding or pouring water on an animal.

Under the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act, any interaction by the public, however well-intentioned, is considered harassment and is prohibited even if the person believes the animal needs help or was left alone.

More importantly, it can lead to the abandonment, injury or death of seals, sea lions or other creatures, especially pups, which should be given lots of space and left to themselves.

Humans “can cause way more harm than good,” said Marine Mammal Center, spokesman Giancarlo Rulli.

“The case of Snowcone is really a tragic example of what can go wrong,” he said. “We’re literally loving these marine animals to death, and that’s really hard to hear. But the data is telling us, in terms of physical harassment … we have to squelch the urge,” he said.

Located in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, The Marine Mammal Center is the world’s largest marine mammal hospital. It is authorized to accept animals from a 600-mile stretch of California coastline, as well as the Big Island of Hawaii. Its staff and specially trained volunteers respond to as many as 1,800 diseased, injured or entangled marine mammals each year.

The nonprofit center and federal officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have long cautioned beachgoers about crowding or harassing marine mammals, including the taking of selfies. It’s long known to have been a problem particularly in the San Francisco Bay Area and the Central Coast, Rulli said.

But the facility has never before made an accounting of how many rescues from its jurisdiction resulted, and even then, was conservative about what to include, Rulli said. “We’re talking about the most severe cases,” he said.

The center is launching an education and awareness effort, hoping to involve businesses, institutions and community leaders in reaching tourists and other members of the public and ensure they understand the threat of getting too close to marine mammals.

“That really is the key driver to tell people and get the message out to the public about situational awareness where we’re sharing the beach with marine mammals,” Rulli said.

The center also plans to use behavior experts to survey visitors about their motives for touching, moving or harassing marine mammals. Officials would use that information to decide how to tailor what guidance might be tailored for different areas, Rulli said.

According to the newly released statistics, 152 cases of serious harassment were counted in 2022, equal to 27% of all patient admissions. The bulk of them, more than 96, were occurred in Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties.

Of special interest, Rulli said, was the finding that harassment was as common in late summer and fall as in the spring and early summer, when adorable pups dot the beaches and attract attention.

Because of the high number of seal haulouts in Bodega Bay and along the Sonoma Coast, it’s become a hot spot especially for harassment of seals, Rulli said.

Other reported local incidents involved a northern elephant seal pup at the Doran Beach visitors were touching; another elephant seal pup that was harassed by dogs at Duncan’s Landing near Jenner; and a California sea lion at The Sea Ranch that was crowded by beachgoers.

“While on the surface, taking a close-up selfie or having your dog off-leash near a marine mammal may seem cute and innocent, it can create real challenges, especially for young seals and sea lions,” said Adam Ratner, The Marine Mammal Center’s associate director of conservation education. “These behaviors can separate young pups from their mothers, increase stress and potentially increase the risk for disease transmission between people and animals.”

You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan (she/her) at 707-521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MaryCallahanB.