Harp seal spotted resting in Beverly is back in water

A harp seal that stopped for a rest on a Beverly beach over the weekend is back in the water. 

The harp seal was spotted resting on Independence Park Beach on Sunday morning, near the jetty at the end of Wilson Avenue, according to Beverly Animal Control. Officials shared a photo of the seal and urged the public to avoid the area in order to give the animal space. 

“This animal has been evaluated and is found to not be injured or in distress of any sort. It is merely resting on the sand as seals tend to do regularly!” the animal control department said. 

Harp seals, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, are considered “regular, if infrequent” visitors to New England in late winter. They, like other seals, regularly come out of the water or “haul out” to rest on islands and beaches, usually by themselves. 

“Hauling out on the beach allows seals to get rid of excess heat through their hind flippers and other surface areas,” NOAA said. “But sometimes, hauling out can invite unwanted attention.”

NOAA urges the public to stay 150 feet away from seals on the shore, since getting close to the animals can cause them to become stressed.

“You should never feed seals, or any other wildlife for that matter,” NOAA’s website states. “It can lead to aggressive behavior and illness. Plus, it’s illegal to feed seals or other marine mammals and you could be fined.”

Beverly Animal Control later updated the public to say the seal had returned the water and was “on its merry way.”

“Thank you to everyone for allowing the seal its space to rest,” the department wrote.

Beverly is no stranger to seal sightings. In 2022, a gray seal became a local celebrity when it popped up in Shoe Pond and evaded several rescue attempts before eventually being caught. The seal, who became known as Shoebert, captured the attention of the region with his antics and even became the subject of a children’s book.