Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches aren’t getting a seal of approval from Massachusetts wildlife officials.
The Wareham Department of Natural Resources urged residents to give seals some space after finding several peanut butter sandwiches near a harp seal that had washed ashore on Swift’s Beach Monday.
“I’m sure someone came across it and felt bad for it,” Garry Buckminster, the director of the town’s Department of Natural Resources, told Boston.com
“While the intent was nice that they thought he would love a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on his way down the coast, we frown upon it,” he said.
A harp seal’s diet typically consists of small fish, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The seal — whom officials named Sammy — appeared to be in good health. Some concerned beachgoers planned on wrapping the seal in blankets to keep it from getting cold — something officials say is unnecessary and potentially harmful.
“Sammy the seal asked that you don’t leave peanut butter and jelly sandwiches (yes, sandwiches were left) he is watching his weight, don’t attempt to wrap blankets around it or try to assist it back to the water in any way,” the Wareham Department of Natural Resources said in a Facebook post.
Harp seals migrate south in the winter and make stops along the East Coast to rest, Buckminster explained.
“We ask that if you come across a seal to please keep a significant distance and do not disturb them,” the department wrote. “Harp seals tend to eat sand when they become stressed and it is not good for them.”
Officials noted Sammy might have been stressed and “was vocal due to the onlookers congregating close by.”