It’s best to let sleeping seals lie
The Department of Conservation is asking the public to trust its judgment when it comes to dealing with wild animals, following the story of the Southland family that took matters into their own hands to rescue a stray seal.
Tuatapere resident Dee Knapp took it upon himself to take care of a juvenile fur seal in his home on Monday, after spotting it while doing a morning check for lambs on his farm.
The seal, nicknamed ‘‘Lucielle’’, stayed inside the Knapp’s house from 10am to 4pm before being released by the family back into the sea.
DOC marine species and threats science adviser Laura Boren said while the family’s ‘‘hearts were in the right place’’, it would have been better to leave the seal to find its own way home.
‘‘I think it’s absolutely fantastic that they cared enough about the seal and wanted to see something done; it’s more that we would recommend not going about it that way and taking a seal into your home.’’
Boren said during this time of year, when seal pups were weaning, it was not uncommon to see them turn up in ‘‘unusual places’’ a long way inland.
‘‘They’re really resilient animals, so we try to give them the ability to find their way back to sea, which in many cases is what happens. If you find a seal in a situation like this and they’ve still got access to the water [via a stream or river], they will generally find their way back.’’
Boren said DOC’s policy was to have as minimal intervention as possible, and only interfere if the seals were in genuine danger.
‘‘If you’ve been able to monitor a situation for a couple of days, and they haven’t moved off the site, they’re losing body condition and they’re in immediate danger, that’s when DOC would reassess the situation and consider moving them.’’
The main issues with rescuing a stray seal and bringing it into a home was the risk of disease transfer, bites, and the seal becomes habituated, Boren said.
‘‘Seals habituate really easily. They’re very clever animals, so bringing them into a captive situation, even for six to eight hours, means they can start getting used to people.’’
‘‘The longer a seal is hanging around people and getting used to them the more it starts to impact their behaviour.’’
Knapp said the only reason he did intervene was that he felt the seal pup was in danger.
‘‘I wasn’t going to leave it in the paddock for my cow to stomp and the neighbour’s dog to eat.
‘‘My place is right next to a road, he was distressed and he had a long way to go until he got to the river, so I felt that was a good time to do it.
‘‘I honestly feel I did the right thing when I rescued him and I sleep easy with a clear conscience.’’
DOC principal compliance officer Alan Christie said he was not aware if there would be any follow up with the family regarding the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
The intent of the law was to bring to account individuals who meant to cause harm, not those who were trying to do the right thing, he said.