Conservation experts remind public not to remove wildlife from its habitat

It looks like there will a happy ending to what started as a naive attempt to do-good.

After a newborn seal pup followed a Calgary tourist visiting a Saanich beach, the woman decided to take the pup in her car before calling 911.

It's not uncommon for seal mothers to leave their pups on local beaches for up to a day.

However, the tourist was concerned enough about the attention-seeking pup to decide it needed rescue.

After the woman reported what she had done, two animal control officers responded. They arranged a sea plane to transport the animal to the Marine Mammal Rescue Centre at the Vancouver Aquarium.

"(The tourist) decided, without speaking to anyone, to take (the seal) to the local pound, which is not a reccomended practice," said Lindsaye Akhurst, the centre's coordinator. "In this case, the seal was in need of rescue, he's quite tiny, thin and was dehydrated."

Nicknamed Alpaca by aquarium staff, the male pup's first 48 hours of life are a mystery.

Weighing seven kilograms and with extra lanugo (hair usually lost in utero) and a long umbilicus, the staff figure Alpaca to have been one to two days old at the time of his arrival Monday afternoon and was likely prematurely born.

"There's no knowing if the mom is OK, it can be any number of things," said Akhurst.

The seal was taken from the beach at Parker Park in Cordova Bay.

Now sleeping under a heat lamp during recovery, Alpaca is being tube fed five times a day and is hydrated. Within two to three weeks he'll be weened and taught to fish for himself, as well as socialize with fellow harbour seals. By two months he will released somewhere along the west coast of B.C.

And while Alpaca will likely recover, there is a preferred protocol to follow if you think a seal pup might be in danger.

“We are asking people to observe, record and report the information prior to intervening”, said Sgt John Price, Public Information Officer for the Saanich Police. “We have experienced pound officers and, more importantly, we sometimes have quick access to experts who can provide information on what to do for the animal.”

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Pupping season:

Last year, more than 100 seals were taken to the Marine Mammal Recovery Centre during pupping season.

Not all of them recover, but those who do are released after about two months -- all depending on their status at arrival.

Pups are released up and down the coast of B.C. in areas where food sources are good.

The public can call the Vancouver Aquarium’s MMRC at 604-258-SEAL (7325) for information and advice. Staff at the centre will assess the situation and determine if animals require rescue.