Warning To Rhode Island Beachgoers About Simple Seal ‘No Touchy’ Rule

With the temperatures getting slightly warmer, more locals are getting out and about. People are taking to trails and beaches for late winter walks, but animal experts want you to beware.

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management has issued a friendly reminder to outdoor adventurers that although cute, white seals should never be approached.

Seals are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) of 1972 and it is illegal to approach them in any way.

Now is the season for seal sightings around the local bays, rivers and coastal ponds. As RIDEM recently pointed out online, not every seal you see on the beach needs your help.

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Sure, the SouthCoast has seen struggling seal pups in the past (like the time a young seal got stuck in some snow on Stoney Brook Lane in Dartmouth), but not every seal you see is stranded.

As RIDEM noted in its recent posts on social media, baby seals will wean over the next several weeks This means young seals are venturing out on their own for the first time.

Seals sit around on beaches or swim closer to shore when their mothers first leave and only really head out on their own when they get hungry enough to forage for their food.

It sounds intense to humans, but it is a natural part of the seal's life cycle and people shouldn't try to mess with it. That's why RIDEM is asking people to keep the phrase "no touchy" in mind when they encounter a baby seal -- or any wildlife.

So, if you happen to hit the beach and see a baby seal just sitting there, leave it alone. The little seal is simply learning.