A seal on the beach? Read this first.

The 4-step protocol — what to do now

Whether it's a newborn white pup on a Wadden beach or a grey seal on the Brouwersdam: the protocol is the same. Follow these four steps in order.

1. Keep at least 30 metres distance. A seal that sees people approaching becomes stressed. In pups, this stress can double the heart rate and drive the mother away permanently. In adults, panic can lead to abandoning a resting site — energy they cannot spare.
2. Do not touch the animal and do not move it. Touching a seal is forbidden under the Dutch Environmental Act and, since 2020, under the Seal Agreement. Moving one is also dangerous: seals have sharp teeth and a fast bite reflex, and can transmit diseases such as seal pox (orf-like) and bacterial infections to humans.
3. Keep dogs strictly on the leash. A dog sees a seal as a competitor or prey. A bite wound on a pup is almost always fatal: the wound becomes infected, or the animal dies of shock. Even on beaches where dogs may run free, the rule applies: leash up near a seal.
4. Call a seal warden via the reporting line. Give the exact location (preferably a GPS coordinate or What3Words), a description of the animal and what stands out. Stay at a distance until the warden arrives, and make sure other beach-goers also keep their distance.

When is a seal really in distress?

The hardest question, and the reason wardens exist: not every seal on the beach needs help. But the following signs are a serious reason to report quickly:

• Visible wound, bleeding or open sore. Especially deep cuts or bite wounds on flippers and belly. Old scars are usually no problem; fresh wounds are.
• Entanglement in net fragments, fishing line or plastic rings. A net around the neck can grow in over months. This is always a reason for immediate reporting.
• Severe emaciation. A healthy seal has a smooth, curved shape. If you can clearly see the ribs or neck vertebrae, or the skin folds, the animal is undernourished.
• Coughing, sneezing, mucus or weepy eyes. Possibly PDV, avian flu or a lung infection. Keep extra distance because of infection risk.
• White pup far from the sea. A newborn grey seal (white coat, "lanugo") belongs on a quiet sandbar — not on a busy beach. If the mother has been away for hours and the pup is calling loudly, help is likely needed.
• The animal is being chased by dogs or the public and can no longer make it back to the sea.

When is it NOT in distress?

Equally important: learn to recognise when a seal is simply resting. Most "found" seals are healthy. A few common situations:

• Weaned pup resting. Common seals nurse their pups for only 3–4 weeks; after that the young seal must fend for itself. It will be small, look vulnerable and often lie alone — but that is normal. It belongs there.
• Mother just out of sight. A common seal mother regularly goes to forage and leaves her pup on the beach temporarily. Sometimes for hours. Don't disturb the animal and the mother will return.
• "Calling" as a contact sound. The wailing that gives the Dutch name "huiler" is a contact call to summon the mother. It doesn't automatically mean distress. Adults make it too, when resting.
• Seal with an open mouth or "twitching". Yawning, stretching and turning on the side are resting behaviours — not seizures.
• Adult lying asleep. Seals spend 30–40% of their time on dry land to rest, moult and warm up. It is not a stranded animal.

The Seal Agreement: why only wardens may intervene

In 2020 all Dutch seal rehab centres, the national government, the provinces and the nature management organisations signed the Seal Agreement (Zeehondenakkoord). The principle: a seal is a wild animal and belongs in nature, not in a rehab tank. Previously, hundreds of pups were admitted that were actually healthy — a consequence of well-meant interference by the public. That turned out to be harmful: pups missed the chance to learn to hunt independently, and the stress of transport and rehab caused deaths that wouldn't otherwise have occurred.

Since 2020, only a trained seal warden may approach or move a seal. The public is legally required to keep its distance. The number of admissions has since dropped by about two thirds — and the beach populations have not declined. The system works.

How do you report the animal?

You report the animal to the national reporting line or directly to the rehab centre active in your region. The warden almost always arrives within one to three hours.

When reporting always provide: exact location (beach post, kilometre marker or GPS), time, number of animals, a short description (colour, size, white coat or not, wounds visible) and your phone number. If asked, send one photo from a distance — no close-ups.

What does the warden do on site?

The seal warden uses a fixed assessment protocol. First they observe the animal from a distance for at least 15–30 minutes: breathing, eye contact, movement, condition of the coat. They then approach in stages and check for wounds, emaciation and alertness. Only then is the decision made: leave to rest on site (the most common outcome), return regularly to monitor, or take in for rehab. See also what a warden does.

Dogs, drones, children: extra warnings

• Drones over seal resting sites are forbidden in Natura 2000 areas. To a seal, a drone sounds like an approaching bird of prey and triggers an immediate flight response.
• Children instinctively want to get close. Make it concrete: 30 metres is roughly the length of a tennis court. Explain that they are helping the animal by staying at a distance.
• Selfies are dangerous — for the animal and for you. Seal bites almost always become infected ("seal finger") and require hospital care.

Found a dead seal?

Report a dead seal to the municipality, the beach manager, or (in the Wadden region) to Rijkswaterstaat or the nature reserve manager. Do not touch the animal: carcasses can carry PDV, avian flu (H5N1) and bacterial diseases. Many dead animals are sampled by Wageningen Marine Research for research — which makes reporting scientifically valuable too. Read more about these diseases on threats.