Maine Boaters Stunned To Realize That A Gray ‘Blob’ On Their Engine Is A Baby Trying To Nurse

If you’ve ever walked along the Maine coast, you know how magical it feels.

The air smells like salt, the waves roll endlessly, and sometimes, if you’re lucky, you’ll catch sight of harbor seals lounging on the rocks.

They’re curious little things, often peeking their heads out of the water as if to say hello.

But one day in Phippsburg, locals saw something that made them stop in their tracks. A tiny seal pup was in trouble.

Instead of basking in the sun or staying close to his mom, he was clinging to a boat in the harbor. Even stranger, he was trying to nurse on the metal propeller.

His little cries carried across the water, the sound of a baby desperate for mom. Lynda Doughty, the executive director of Marine Mammals of Maine, shared in an interview:

“[He] would swim away and come back, crying out, searching for Mom. He was cold and shivery.”

People watched, hoping maybe his mom would surface, but she never came. Instead, the pup kept returning to that boat.

He circled it again and again like he was convinced it could give him what he needed. It was heartbreaking.

Anyone who has ever seen a puppy or kitten search for their mom knows that desperate, lost look.

That’s when the call went out to Marine Mammals of Maine, a rescue team that always shows up for animals like this.

When they arrived, the rescuers spotted the pup collapsed on a pile of seaweed, too weak to keep going.

He was barely three days old, skinny, shivering, and exhausted. And still, his mom was nowhere in sight.

The rescuers knew time was running out. They bundled him up and rushed him back to their center.

That first night was all about survival. He was given fluids, warmth, and formula designed to mimic the rich milk he would have gotten from his mom.

At last, his tiny body started to relax. After his belly was full, he curled up and slept deeply, safe for the first time since he’d lost her.

And that’s when his healing really began. Day by day, this fragile little seal grew stronger. The team cheered when he learned to eat fish on his own.

Soon he was splashing in his pool, wrestling with fake seaweed like it was the best toy in the world, and even made friends with the other rescued seals.

Weeks turned into months, and the scrawny pup who once clung to a boat propeller grew into a sleek, strong seal.

His coat gleamed, his energy soared, and it became clear he was ready for the next chapter. He was ready to be released.

The rescuers carried him down to the shoreline, the place where his story had started. When they opened his crate, he slipped into the water right away.

The rescuers watched with full hearts as he disappeared into the waves. The little orphan had found his way back to the life he was meant to live.

At the end of the day, the story of this little seal is a good reminder for all of us that the shore is their home long before it’s our playground, as Doughty shared:

“Please give seals their space and share the shore. They were here before us!”

Indeed, we’re just visitors; they belong here.