The young couple, on an oceanside vacation at Westport, just couldn't leave the harbor-seal pup to fend for himself. He was so alone on that beach by the lighthouse. So helpless-looking, with no mom in sight. The big, cold ocean ready to engulf him.

How would this bundle with the soulful eyes ever survive?

So, of course, they took the pup to their motel room.

That was on May 28. The 16-pound pup, estimated at 6 to 8 weeks of age, spent the night on their motel floor.

At that weight, the pup could have taken a nice bite out of them. Harbor-seal pups, no matter how cute, are, you know, wild things.

Or maybe he could have passed on diseases that wild animals can carry if they draw blood — your blood.

But cute is cute.

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NOTE: For any marine mammal strandings in San Juan County, including harbor seal pups, call The Whale Museum's hotline at 1-800-562-8832.