. Call for assistance if you encounter a beached seal pup. Trained volunteers will determine whether the seal is stranded or needs medical attention.

. Stay away and don’t touch seal pups. The mother will be deterred from returning by the scent or presence of humans. Also, seal pups can bite.

. Don’t try to herd a seal back into the ocean. An injured or sick seal may drown.

. In Maine, call the Marine Animal Lifeline at 851-6625 for stranded seals from Kittery to Rockland or Allied Whale at 266-1326 from Rockland to New Brunswick.