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Move away, keep people and dogs back, and do not touch or move the animal. A seal, fur seal, or sea lion on shore may be resting, nursing, molting, avoiding a predator, or otherwise behaving normally. If you observe an injury, entanglement, severe weakness, alarming behavior, or a dead animal, contact the marine mammal stranding network for that beach and follow its instructions.
NOAA Fisheries puts the central rule plainly: “You should not attempt to approach, touch, handle, or return them to the water.” Only trained, authorized responders should assess or handle a stranded marine mammal.
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What to do immediately
- Stop and create distance. Back away to the greatest practical distance and keep the animal’s path to the water or nearby cover unobstructed. Do not gather around it for a closer look.
- Control children and dogs. Call children away. Put dogs on a leash and move them well away; do not allow a dog to sniff, bark at, chase, or circle the animal.
- Do not intervene physically. Do not touch, feed, pour water on, push, drag, corral, transport, or try to return the animal to the sea.
- Observe without approaching. From a safe, legal location, note whether it is alive, how many animals are present, and any obvious wound, entanglement, or unusual behavior.
- Call when there is a concern. Report an injured, entangled, stranded, seriously ill-looking, or dead animal to the regional marine mammal stranding network. If the animal appears to be resting normally, you can still call for local advice, especially if crowds or pets cannot be kept away.
Do not remain beside the animal while making the call if doing so keeps it stressed or blocks the public beach. Move to a safe position first.
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Why a seal or sea lion may be on land
Shore presence alone does not prove that an animal is in trouble. Seals, fur seals, and sea lions regularly come ashore to rest, breed, nurse or rear pups, molt, or avoid predators. A healthy animal may lie still for long periods and may not immediately return to the water when people expect it to.
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That uncertainty is why members of the public should report observations rather than attempt a diagnosis. A responder can combine your location and description with local knowledge, recent strandings, tides, weather, and the species’ normal behavior.
A quiet animal is not necessarily an abandoned animal
An animal that appears alone, including a pup, may be waiting while its mother feeds at sea. In some species, mothers leave pups ashore temporarily and return later. People standing close can keep the mother from approaching. Giving the animal room is therefore part of helping it, even when it looks lonely or vulnerable.
When an animal needs a report
Call the stranding network if you see signs that could indicate serious injury, illness, entanglement, or death. These are observations for trained responders, not a public checklist for deciding whether to rescue an animal yourself.
- Excessive bleeding or an open wound
- Rope, net, line, plastic, or other material wrapped around the body or flippers
- Violent seizures, severe disorientation, repeated head shaking, or foaming at the mouth
- Severe underweight or marked weakness
- An animal that is clearly dead
- A situation in which the animal is trapped, repeatedly struck by people, or otherwise at immediate risk because it cannot be left undisturbed
If you are unsure whether what you see is significant, call and describe it. Do not approach to confirm a suspected wound. A closer look can expose you or your pet to a bite and can increase the animal’s stress.
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Do not put a seal pup back in the water
No. Do not push, carry, drag, or roll a pup into the surf. NOAA warns that doing so can expose it to exhaustion, drowning, or predators. The pup may be waiting for its mother to return from feeding.
Instead, move people and dogs away and report the location if you are concerned. Tell the responder that it is a pup, whether an adult is visible nearby, how long you have observed it if known, and whether the beach can remain quiet. The network may ask you to continue watching from a safe distance, leave the area, or take another action that fits local conditions.
How to report a seal or sea lion in the United States
Contact the marine mammal stranding network serving the beach where you found the animal. Give the dispatcher enough information to identify the site and assess urgency.
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- Exact location: beach name, access point, nearby landmark, municipality, and coordinates if you know them
- Date and time: when you found the animal and, if known, how long it has been there
- Number of animals: report each one separately when their conditions differ
- Condition: alive or dead, plus any visible wound, entanglement, unusual behavior, or severe thinness
- Species identification: only if you are confident; “seal-like marine mammal” is more useful than a wrong identification
- Access and hazards: whether crowds, dogs, surf, rocks, traffic, or other conditions make the site difficult to reach
Photos or video can help responders, but they are optional. Take them only from a safe and lawful distance, without stepping closer, entering a restricted area, disturbing the animal, or encouraging others to approach.
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U.S. regional 24/7 hotlines
The following numbers are listed in NOAA Fisheries’ February 2026 2024 Report of Marine Mammal Strandings in the United States. They are regional U.S. contacts; confirm that the number and jurisdiction still apply to the beach where you are calling.
| Region | 24/7 stranding hotline |
|---|---|
| Alaska | (877) 925-7773 |
| Greater Atlantic | (866) 755-6622 |
| Pacific Islands | (888) 256-9840 |
| Southeast | (877) 942-5343 |
| West Coast | (866) 767-6114 |
Regional routing and telephone numbers can change. If a number does not connect or you are outside the listed region, contact the local wildlife agency, coast guard, park authority, or marine mammal stranding service for that jurisdiction.
If you are outside the United States
The numbers above are U.S.-specific. Use the wildlife authority, environmental agency, protected-area office, or marine mammal stranding service responsible for the coastline where you found the animal. Follow local signs and instructions because response systems, protected species, and viewing rules differ by country and region.
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Wild seals and sea lions are powerful, unpredictable animals. Even one that seems calm can bite or injure a person who comes within reach. NOAA also notes that they can carry infectious diseases that may spread to people and pets.
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- Keep several steps farther back if the animal lifts its head, opens its mouth, vocalizes, lunges, or changes direction toward you.
- Never let a child sit beside, touch, or pose with the animal.
- Keep dogs leashed and move them away promptly. A dog approaching the animal can trigger a chase or bite, and a bite can expose the dog to injury or disease.
- Do not handle body fluids, blood, feces, or a carcass. Keep pets from sniffing or licking them.
- Ask onlookers to leave a clear buffer rather than forming a ring around the animal.
If anyone is bitten or otherwise injured, leave the area and obtain medical or veterinary advice. Tell the clinician or veterinarian that contact with a wild marine mammal occurred.
What the law means for beach visitors
In the United States, marine mammals are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and some species also receive protection under the Endangered Species Act. NOAA guidance says that public touching, handling, or close approach to a stranded protected marine mammal is illegal.
The exact legal viewing distance and restrictions depend on the species, location, and applicable federal, state, tribal, or local rules. Obey posted signs, closures, ranger directions, and instructions from the responding organization. A public beach is not permission to handle wildlife, and good intentions do not create an exception.
What responders may ask you to do
The stranding network may ask you to remain at a safe distance and keep people and dogs back until help arrives. It may instead tell you to leave after supplying the location, particularly when the animal appears to be resting and a crowd is the main risk.
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Follow the instructions exactly. Do not decide that a delayed response means you should intervene. Trained responders must consider tides, surf, species, disease risk, legal authority, and whether moving the animal would cause more harm. Only authorized personnel should approach, restrain, transport, treat, or release it.
Common mistakes and why they are harmful
“It is on the beach, so it must need rescuing.”
Not necessarily. Resting, nursing, molting, breeding, and predator avoidance can all bring a healthy animal ashore. Calling for advice is appropriate; attempting a rescue is not.
“The pup is alone, so I should reunite it with its mother.”
Moving it can prevent the mother from finding it and can expose the pup to exhaustion, drowning, or predators. Leave it where it is and create distance.
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There is no reliable public approach technique. A seal or sea lion can turn quickly, and getting close creates legal, health, and injury risks.
“I should give it fish or water.”
Feeding can interfere with natural behavior and may cause the animal to approach people. Pouring water on it or trying to cool it is also inappropriate. Report the observation instead.
“A better photograph will help.”
Only take a photograph from the distance you already have. Do not cross a barrier, climb onto rocks, enter the surf, or move closer for identification.
A practical decision guide
| What you observe | Your next step |
|---|---|
| Animal is resting and no one is close | Stay back, keep dogs leashed, and leave it undisturbed. Call for local guidance if you cannot maintain space. |
| Pup is alone but no injury is visible | Do not move it or put it in the water. Clear the area and contact the stranding network for advice. |
| Open wound, heavy bleeding, entanglement, severe weakness, seizure-like behavior, disorientation, head shaking, or foaming | Report promptly with the exact location and condition. Do not approach to inspect or treat it. |
| Animal is dead | Report it to the stranding network. Keep people and pets away from the carcass and do not touch it. |
| Outside the United States | Use the local wildlife or marine mammal stranding authority, not the U.S. regional numbers. |
Before you leave the beach
- Confirm that children and dogs are clear of the animal.
- Tell nearby visitors not to touch, feed, move, or photograph it at close range.
- Give the responder a precise location and a factual description rather than a diagnosis.
- Record photos only if you can do so without moving closer or violating a restriction.
- Follow the responder’s direction about waiting, leaving, or maintaining a viewing buffer.
The safest help is usually quiet distance and accurate reporting. A seal or sea lion does not need a public rescue attempt because it is visible on shore; it needs people to avoid adding stress, injury, disease exposure, or separation from a mother. When there are concerning signs, the regional stranding network can decide what intervention, if any, is appropriate.
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