A newborn seal has arrived at The Children’s Pool in La Jolla, the first of the current pupping season. The Children’s Pool remains closed through May 15.
It’s an event many locals and visitors take delight in annually: The first harbor seal pup of the pupping season has made its debut at The Children’s Pool in La Jolla, as reported by the Sierra Club Seal Society of San Diego Jan 20.
More pups will follow in the coming weeks; The Children’s Pool is closed annually from Dec 15 through May 15 to allow the pregnant seals safety and rest while they deliver and nurse their pups.
Harbor seal pups will double their birth weight (about 24 pounds) in the first four to six weeks and will learn self-sufficiency in that time before their mothers release them to live independently.
The pups can swim at birth, able to dive for up to two minutes when they are only two or three days old.
Harbor seals are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act; do not approach or touch them and heed the beach closure.
