Officials in Wareham, Massachusetts are asking residents to stop feeding peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to seals.
The request was made after the Wareham Department of Natural Resources found sandwiches near a harp seal when they responded to a call of a possibly sick or injured animal.
At the scene, authorities evaluated the seal, which appeared to be hydrated and alert.
WDNR said in a Facebook post that "Sammy" the seal was vocal because of nearby onlookers. Authorities say that when stressed, harp seals tend to eat sand and sand consumption is not good for them.
In addition to the peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, WDNR is warning residents not to wrap blankets around seals and to refrain from helping them back in the water.
