Sign up for a seal walk! Meet us at Cupsogue Beach most Saturday and Sunday mornings through early May (see the schedule on the sign up form at the link) and learn about these winter visitors to Long Island from Prof. Artie Kopelman, Marine Mammal Ecologist and President of CRESLI — The Coastal Research And Education Society of Long Island.
Price: $5 suggested donation adult, $3 for children. Group rates available. See phone number below at bottom. CRESLI Memberships also available for sale at the link below.
Remember: Be a responsible seal viewer. Comply with seal watching guidelines.
Warning Signs That Your Behavior is Upsetting the Seals:
Increased vocalizations by seals
Movement back into the water (single animal or the group)
All eyes are on you (single animal or several in the group)
Disturbance from normal resting position (lifting their head to watch you)
Stay At Least Fifty Yards Away From The Seals:
Seals that are continually being approached never get a chance to rest
Repeated interaction can exhaust seals, leaving them vulnerable to predation and illness
Continued disturbance of mother /pup pairs could lead to abandonment and subsequent mortality of the pup
Never Get In The Water With Seals:
Seals are large, wild animals and can be extremely dangerous
If they feel threatened they may become aggressive in order to defend themselves
Never Attempt To Feed The Seals:
You could get seriously injured
Feeding seals is against the law; you could be arrested and/or fined
Food that isn’t a normal part of their diet will do more harm than good!
Feeding negatively impedes their ability to hunt and locate food on their own
Feeding encourages seals to approach boats looking for handouts
This behavior has resulted in injuries from boat propellers