Harbor seals: OK to look, but not too closely

They may be cute and they may be cuddly but they are wild animals, are susceptible to a host of diseases, including rabies and herpes, will bite and can carry fines of up to $500 for “harassment,” which is basically any interaction that might change the animals’ behavior.

They’re seals and they’re back in Ocean City.

Now leave them alone.

A young harbor seal was spotted on Dec. 7, the first seal of the season. Sandi Smith of the Maryland Coastal Bays Program said in a release the first “social haul out” in Ocean City was in 2008.

Smith said hauling out is a normal behavior of pinnipeds, otherwise known as seals, sea lions and walruses. The animals take a necessary break from foraging for mating, giving birth, escaping predators, social activity and rest – activities that are coupled with an inherent degree of agitation.

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