Are pups released by The Center able to fend for themselves?
Such concerns are very valid at a rehabilitation center. We try to prevent the pups from becoming tame by taking several precautions. Contact with the pups is kept at a minimum; unnecessary handling is not allowed, such as cuddling or pampering. Hand-feeding is practiced only until the pup learns to grab its food from underwater. Keeping several pups together in the same pen promotes socialization with each other and not with people. The Science Department has placed radio tags on some harbor seal pups before release in order to monitor their behavior in the wild. We have located many tagged harbor seals, hauled out and healthy 6 months to a year after release.
