Please Scroll Down to See Forums Below 
redguru
New member
Gray seal pup killed crossing LBI road
By DONNA K. WEAVER Staff Writer, (609) 978-2015
Published: Friday, February 2, 2007
LONG BEACH TOWNSHIP — The hazards of crossing the road proved fatal Tuesday night for a gray seal pup that had already managed to make it alone all the way to Long Beach Island from, probably, Canada.
The species is federally protected, but that didn't help when the pup wandered over the dunes in Loveladies and began to cross the northbound lanes of Long Beach Boulevard. It almost reached the median, but was struck and killed by a vehicle in the passing lane.
Scott Doyle, an agent with the National Marine Fisheries Service, said a seal crossing the road is quite a rare occurrence.
“This is the first time in 20 years that I have seen a seal on the road. They usually stay on the beach. From what we have so far, this appears to be an accident.”
It's a crime to harass or kill the seals, but right now, there's no evidence of a violation of the law, Doyle said.
“If we discovered there was foul play, the penalty can be a $10,000 fine per count, and if it were deemed to be malicious, the person can do jail time. We're working closely with the local police department and the Marine Mammal Stranding Center. We take all of these matters seriously. And if anyone has any information they should call us,” he said.
Bob Schoelkopf, director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine, took over after the dead pup was found.
“Early Wednesday morning we received a call from the Long Beach Township Police Department that the pup had been hit. The only humane thing was that it was an instant kill,” he said.
This is the time of year the seals are born — about 34,000 this year on Canada's Sable Island, according to Marine Mammal Science magazine, Schoelkopf said.
“This is a large number,” he said.
The Marine Mammal Stranding Center typically doesn't see gray seal pups in this area until the end of February, he said. “Usually we handle two or three of these stranded seals per year, but in 2005 we handled 30 stranded along the N.J. coast.”
Schoelkopf said he is sure such incidents will happen again, and that's what has him worried. “At about 2 or 3 months old, these seals leave their mother looking for food on their own. In this instance the seal was looking for food and wandered onto a roadway,” he said.
Schoelkopf sent two staff members to Long Beach Island at about 1:15 a.m.; they were responsible for photographing the scene and retrieving the animal. Municipalities are not permitted to dispose of such federally protected animals, because tests often must be conducted on the remains.
The gray seal is a federally protected marine mammal, so the stranding center is the first to be called, and federal authorities are notified as well. It was a hit and run, Schoelkopf said, so there is not much to go on. But somewhere, someone knows he or she hit the animal, he said.
“This animal weighed about 34 pounds and there would be a lot of blood on the vehicle. We know the vehicle had to have been driving northbound in the passing lane. I don't know why that person was driving in the passing lane at that late hour. If the driver was in the other lane, the seal may not have even been hit,” he said.
After the carcass was retrieved by stranding-center staff, it was sent to the New Bolton Center of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, where a necropsy was performed.
“The autopsy has been worked up as of yesterday. They found that the driver's side tire had crushed the skull. There were also tests done on the animal's histology, whether or not there were any parasites or diseases. And those tests are sent to the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, D.C.,” Schoelkopf said.
NMFS's Doyle noted that it is illegal for humans to interact with gray seals in any way. The animals may look a lot like dogs, he said, but they are not.
“We've had incidents in the past where people have seen these seals on the beach in bad weather and have taken them home, wrapped in blankets and put them in their backyard or bathtub. People need to realize that these are wild animals,” he said.
Schoelkopf added that the seals have no idea what people are, and gray seals bite whatever they can get their teeth on.
“These animals have a highly infectious bite, believe me, I've been bit several times,” he said.
Doyle said anyone with information about the seal's death can call his agency's hotline at (800) 853-1964.
To e-mail Donna K. Weaver at The Press:
By DONNA K. WEAVER Staff Writer, (609) 978-2015
Published: Friday, February 2, 2007
LONG BEACH TOWNSHIP — The hazards of crossing the road proved fatal Tuesday night for a gray seal pup that had already managed to make it alone all the way to Long Beach Island from, probably, Canada.
The species is federally protected, but that didn't help when the pup wandered over the dunes in Loveladies and began to cross the northbound lanes of Long Beach Boulevard. It almost reached the median, but was struck and killed by a vehicle in the passing lane.
Scott Doyle, an agent with the National Marine Fisheries Service, said a seal crossing the road is quite a rare occurrence.
“This is the first time in 20 years that I have seen a seal on the road. They usually stay on the beach. From what we have so far, this appears to be an accident.”
It's a crime to harass or kill the seals, but right now, there's no evidence of a violation of the law, Doyle said.
“If we discovered there was foul play, the penalty can be a $10,000 fine per count, and if it were deemed to be malicious, the person can do jail time. We're working closely with the local police department and the Marine Mammal Stranding Center. We take all of these matters seriously. And if anyone has any information they should call us,” he said.
Bob Schoelkopf, director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine, took over after the dead pup was found.
“Early Wednesday morning we received a call from the Long Beach Township Police Department that the pup had been hit. The only humane thing was that it was an instant kill,” he said.
This is the time of year the seals are born — about 34,000 this year on Canada's Sable Island, according to Marine Mammal Science magazine, Schoelkopf said.
“This is a large number,” he said.
The Marine Mammal Stranding Center typically doesn't see gray seal pups in this area until the end of February, he said. “Usually we handle two or three of these stranded seals per year, but in 2005 we handled 30 stranded along the N.J. coast.”
Schoelkopf said he is sure such incidents will happen again, and that's what has him worried. “At about 2 or 3 months old, these seals leave their mother looking for food on their own. In this instance the seal was looking for food and wandered onto a roadway,” he said.
Schoelkopf sent two staff members to Long Beach Island at about 1:15 a.m.; they were responsible for photographing the scene and retrieving the animal. Municipalities are not permitted to dispose of such federally protected animals, because tests often must be conducted on the remains.
The gray seal is a federally protected marine mammal, so the stranding center is the first to be called, and federal authorities are notified as well. It was a hit and run, Schoelkopf said, so there is not much to go on. But somewhere, someone knows he or she hit the animal, he said.
“This animal weighed about 34 pounds and there would be a lot of blood on the vehicle. We know the vehicle had to have been driving northbound in the passing lane. I don't know why that person was driving in the passing lane at that late hour. If the driver was in the other lane, the seal may not have even been hit,” he said.
After the carcass was retrieved by stranding-center staff, it was sent to the New Bolton Center of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, where a necropsy was performed.
“The autopsy has been worked up as of yesterday. They found that the driver's side tire had crushed the skull. There were also tests done on the animal's histology, whether or not there were any parasites or diseases. And those tests are sent to the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology in Washington, D.C.,” Schoelkopf said.
NMFS's Doyle noted that it is illegal for humans to interact with gray seals in any way. The animals may look a lot like dogs, he said, but they are not.
“We've had incidents in the past where people have seen these seals on the beach in bad weather and have taken them home, wrapped in blankets and put them in their backyard or bathtub. People need to realize that these are wild animals,” he said.
Schoelkopf added that the seals have no idea what people are, and gray seals bite whatever they can get their teeth on.
“These animals have a highly infectious bite, believe me, I've been bit several times,” he said.
Doyle said anyone with information about the seal's death can call his agency's hotline at (800) 853-1964.
To e-mail Donna K. Weaver at The Press:
