Baby seal jumbles plans for mass baptism
SEATTLE -- A baby seal held up a religious ceremony at Alki Beach on Friday, eventually prompting it to move to another location.
Left on shore by his mother on Thursday, the seal pup has been looking around, waiting for its mother to come back with some food. That mother was seen swimming just offshore most of Friday, possibly frightened by the crowd her pup was drawing.
"The best thing for the pups is as little noise as possible," said volunteer seal sitter Diane Olson.
But the seal got just the opposite on Friday morning when trucks full of lights, amplifiers and speakers pulled up.
"Well, we pulled in this morning, expecting to build a stage to find out they didn't want us to build there," said Dey Yates, a crew member.
Mars Hill Church had obtained a permit to use Alki for a mass baptism.150 were supposed to go for a full dunk in the Puget Sound, but they didn't even come close.
"Heard there was a $5,000 fine for even entering that area," said Nate Ellis, a church member.
Federal law prohibits people from getting within 100 yards of an abandoned seal pup or risk being fined $2,000. Mother seals are known to reject baby seals that had been touched by humans.
When the church members realized they couldn't move the seal pup, they decided to pray. The group spent the first 30 minutes of their morning praying the seal would move.
But the seal didn't budge.
Church members then decided to move the stage several hundred yards down the beach. And while Olson made sure people watch on the pup, crews worked to set up the stage for the baptism at the new location.
"So far, it looks like the seal won," said Yates.
Then, just as the church members began sound checks for the event, the seal pup slipped into the water to its mother, who was waiting just a few yards away.
And soon after, the 150 church members got their chance to take a full dunk in the water as well
Left on shore by his mother on Thursday, the seal pup has been looking around, waiting for its mother to come back with some food. That mother was seen swimming just offshore most of Friday, possibly frightened by the crowd her pup was drawing.
"The best thing for the pups is as little noise as possible," said volunteer seal sitter Diane Olson.
But the seal got just the opposite on Friday morning when trucks full of lights, amplifiers and speakers pulled up.
"Well, we pulled in this morning, expecting to build a stage to find out they didn't want us to build there," said Dey Yates, a crew member.
Mars Hill Church had obtained a permit to use Alki for a mass baptism.150 were supposed to go for a full dunk in the Puget Sound, but they didn't even come close.
"Heard there was a $5,000 fine for even entering that area," said Nate Ellis, a church member.
Federal law prohibits people from getting within 100 yards of an abandoned seal pup or risk being fined $2,000. Mother seals are known to reject baby seals that had been touched by humans.
When the church members realized they couldn't move the seal pup, they decided to pray. The group spent the first 30 minutes of their morning praying the seal would move.
But the seal didn't budge.
Church members then decided to move the stage several hundred yards down the beach. And while Olson made sure people watch on the pup, crews worked to set up the stage for the baptism at the new location.
"So far, it looks like the seal won," said Yates.
Then, just as the church members began sound checks for the event, the seal pup slipped into the water to its mother, who was waiting just a few yards away.
And soon after, the 150 church members got their chance to take a full dunk in the water as well