Rhode Island Beachgoers Warned About Seal 'No Touchy' Rule

With the temperatures getting slightly warmer, more locals are getting out and about. People are taking to trails and beaches for late winter walks, but animal experts want you to beware.

The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management has issued a friendly reminder to outdoor adventurers that although cute, white seals should never be approached.

Seals are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) of 1972 and it is illegal to approach them in any way.

Now is the season for seal sightings around the local bays, rivers and coastal ponds. As RIDEM recently pointed out online, not every seal you see on the beach needs your help.

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Sure, the SouthCoast has seen struggling seal pups in the past (like the time a young seal got stuck in some snow on Stoney Brook Lane in Dartmouth), but not every seal you see is stranded.

As RIDEM noted in its recent posts on social media, baby seals will wean over the next several weeks This means young seals are venturing out on their own for the first time.

Seals sit around on beaches or swim closer to shore when their mothers first leave and only really head out on their own when they get hungry enough to forage for their food.

It sounds intense to humans, but it is a natural part of the seal's life cycle and people shouldn't try to mess with it. That's why RIDEM is asking people to keep the phrase "no touchy" in mind when they encounter a baby seal -- or any wildlife.

So, if you happen to hit the beach and see a baby seal just sitting there, leave it alone. The little seal is simply learning.

All the Photos from the Grey Seal Release at Blue Shutters Beach in Charlestown

The Mystic Aquarium Rescue Program released a juvenile male grey seal on Tuesday at Blue Shutters Beach in Charlestown, Rhode Island. It was the first public release in two years and the crowd loved watching this seal pup head back home.

Gallery Credit: Nancy Hall

Unique Rhode Island Beach House Lets You Explore Your Own Outdoors

Sitting among 20 acres of woodland is a beach house unlike any you've seen before. Though just minutes from the ocean, this Charlestown home on Ross Hill Road will have you thinking you're in the middle of the mountains.

Gallery Credit: Nancy Hall

LOOK: See America's 50 Best Beach Towns

Every beach town has its share of pluses and minuses, which got us thinking about what makes a beach town the best one to live in. To find out, Stacker consulted data from WalletHub, released June 17, 2020, that compares U.S. beach towns. Ratings are based on six categories: affordability, weather, safety, economy, education and health, and quality of life. The cities ranged in population from 10,000 to 150,000, but they had to have at least one local beach listed on TripAdvisor. Read the full methodology here. From those rankings, we selected the top 50. Readers who live in California and Florida will be unsurprised to learn that many of towns featured here are in one of those two states.

Keep reading to see if your favorite beach town made the cut.

Gallery Credit: Keri Wiginton