get out!
Don’t tamper with the seals
As Oregon slowly begins to re-open
in the face of the continuing threat from
COVID-19, business owners and beach-
goers alike are getting used to staying six
feet, or roughly two yards, away from each
other.
But some beach dwellers need a little
more space than that — 50 yards to be
exact — and always have done.
Young seal pups venturing onto
Oregon’s beaches are at risk from well-
meaning people who mistakenly try to
rescue them, said Oregon State University
marine mammal biologist Jim Rice,
who coordinates the statewide Oregon
Marine Mammal Stranding Network
headquartered in Newport.
“We’re in the peak of pupping season
right now,” he said, “and this past weekend
there were several incidents reported of
people approaching too closely to seal pups
on Oregon beaches.
Rice said people should refrain from
touching or approaching the seal pups,
which in most cases are not orphaned
or abandoned. Seal pups are frequently
left on the beach by their mothers, who
are out looking for food. Th e harbor seal
pupping season on the Oregon Coast is
generally March through June, with a peak
in mid-May.
“Newborn pups typically spend several
hours each day waiting for their mothers
to reunite with them,” Rice said. “Adult
female seals spend most of their time in
the water, hunting for food, and only come
ashore periodically to nurse their pups.
But the mothers are wary of people and
unlikely to rejoin a pup if there is activity
nearby.”
Rice said concerned but uninformed
beach-goers will sometimes interfere,
picking up seal pups and taking them away
A novel approach
to reading club
Toledo Public Library has unveiled its
new Summer Reading Program, specially
tailored to off er readers of all ages the
chance to expand their horizons in an age
of social distancing.
For many years, the program has
encouraged children, teens and adults
alike to read for pleasure over the
summer months. Traditionally, this has
included tracking reading to earn prizes;
and weekly shows from storytellers,
puppet shows, educators and a host of
other performers. Th is year, COVID-
19 has presented a challenge for this
programming, but the library staff has
been hard at work devising innovative and
creative new ideas for Summer Reading
Club 2020.
Th e all-ages program, themed “Imagine
Your Story,” off ers elements including
Th e Great Gran Plan Tic-Tac-Toe,
Th e Singing Rock Book Club, podcast
reviews, creative writing opportunities
and more.
Th e Great Gran Plan will also be
featured in a story trail along Main Street,
while Th e Singing Rock graphic novel
stories will be featured in the library
windows for additional participation.
To register, go to www.cityoftoledo.
org/library. Registration materials will
also be available at school meal delivery
bus stops, and outside of JC Th riftway on
select days. If none of these options work,
give the library a call and staff can get you
signed up over the phone.
For more information, call 541-336-
3132 between 10 am and 2 pm Monday
to Friday or email childrens@cityoftoledo.
org.
18 • oregoncoastTODAY.com • facebook.com/oregoncoasttoday • May 22, 2020
from the beaches — and their mothers.
A more common threat is hovering by
curious onlookers, which can cause stress to
the pups and prevents their mothers from
returning to them.
“It’s tempting for some people to
attempt to ‘rescue’ these seemingly hapless
pups,” Rice said. “A pup’s best chance for
survival is to be left alone. A dependent
pup that’s taken away from its mother will
certainly die.”
Bystanders should stay at least 50 yards
away and keep their dogs leashed, Rice
said.
“After suckling for about four weeks,
weaned pups are abandoned by their
mothers, left to fend for themselves,” Rice
added. “Th ey will continue to come onto
beaches periodically to rest as they grow
and learn how to catch their own food.”
Even with the best of intentions, Rice
said, people can do a great deal of harm.
Additionally, people who disturb seal pups,
even those who are just trying to help, risk
being fi ned under laws intended to protect
marine mammals. Th e Marine Mammal
Protection Act prohibits human interaction
with seal pups and other marine mammals
on the beach.
Anyone who observes incidents of seal
pup harassment or animals in distress
should call the Oregon State Police at
1-800-452-7888.
Th e Oregon Marine Mammal
Stranding Network is an organization
comprised of state agencies, universities and
volunteers, working together to investigate
the causes of marine mammal strandings,
provide for the welfare of live stranded
animals and advance public education
about marine mammal strandings.
For more information, go to http://
mmi.oregonstate.edu/ommsn.