Coast Guard rescues stranded baby seal in Cape May

    It’s been a busy few weeks for wildlife rescues involving the U.S. Coast Guard in Cape May County.

    A stranded baby seal was found Saturday on a stretch of beach in Cape May that’s part of a Coast Guard training facility, and the Coasties jumped into action to help one of their sea mates.

    Guard members were assisted in the rescue by staffers from the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine.

    It wasn’t clear how long the seal was stranded before it was found. Officials say the rescue was made without incident.

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    In late March, at the request of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, the Coast Guard assisted a dolphin that had beached itself in North Wildwood. The dolphin was transported in a Coast Guard vessel five miles off the Cape May Inlet, where it was released into open waters. 

    A video released by the Coast Guard shows members at its Cape May station carrying the dolphin onto the vessel, riding out to sea, and gently placing the marine mammal into the water. 

    The Marine Mammal Stranding Center requests that the public stay 50 yards away from the seals, which look cute but will deliver a sharp bite if scared.

    The marine mammals will warn anyone who gets too close with a “growl or snort,” or by “scratching with a flipper,” the organization says, adding that the next defense is to bite “if they cannot get away fast enough.”

    Anyone who spots a seal should call the Marine Mammal Stranding Center at 609-266-0538.

    The gallery above contains file photos courtesy of JSHN contributor Katie Clayton-Case.

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    The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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