Distressed seal removed from Jones Beach

Biologists removed a distressed harp seal from Jones Beach Thursday after multiple callers reported seeing it near the Field 6 concession stand. The animal, a juvenile, seemed in good physical shape. But it was highly agitated - most likely, biologists said, because of the many onlookers.

"This one was really getting harassed," said Kim Durham, rescue program director for the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation, the local group authorized to respond to stranded marine mammals in New York State.

Some seal species will haul out on rocks and sandbars during the winter to rest and socialize. Some, weakened by dehydration or illness, may require intervention.

Most return to the water on their own.

Wildlife managers advise people to stay 50 yards from seals, which are protected under federal law. Repeated interactions with humans can exhaust and leave them vulnerable to illness and predators.

David Edwards of Seaford, at Jones Beach Thursday with his son, said people were getting as close as 3 feet.

The harp seal was first reported Wednesday. Photos indicated the animal was healthy, so biologists monitored it while attending to more urgent cases out east.

The seal was assessed at the foundation's Riverhead facility and was expected to be returned to the ocean last night.