Featured Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons
By: Sarah Sharkey
In California’s Point Reyes National Seashore, the rangers are in a constant battle with elephant seals. These large seals love to take up all the space on the beach right next to the visitor center. Typically, the rangers shoo these seals away by waving a tarp at them, which just temporarily annoys them. The goal is to move them further down the beach so that human visitors can also enjoy the park.
The large seals can weigh up to 8,800 pounds. During the recent government shutdown, the massive seals took over the beach directly in front of the visitor center. The animals were even spotted hanging around a picnic bench.
Over 100 females and the pups, plus a few males made the beach their home. The park rangers have to leave the seals alone for several months because the new pups are too vulnerable to move. Unfortunately, this means that the beach area will be closed to humans for the foreseeable future.
The seals will likely remain in their new beach spot until April. The pups will not be weaned until Late April, so that will keep humans off the beach until then. In most years, the seals stick to a more secluded beach but due to recent storms, they decided to head to this new location.
Learn more from our source.