Public asked to avoid seal pups

The beginning of the seal pup weaning season is creating a headache for conservation workers who are warning people not touch or pick up lone pups.

It follows a case where a woman found a baby seal in Picton and took it to Wellington, where it had to be put down because of the trauma it had suffered on the journey.

Last week, Lower Hutt police officers discovered a baby seal on the banks of the Hutt River and stored it in a cell while a decision was made on what to do with it.

Peter Simpson from the Department of Conservation says baby seals are wild animals and should be left alone.

He says they are wild animals that carry a raft of diseases and can also be vicious.

Mr Simpson says if a seal is in an inappropriate place such as on a road or in a garden and needs to be removed, DoC officers should be contacted. He says seals are quite capable of fending for themselves.

- NEWSTALK ZB