AMSTERDAM — Storms that have lashed the Dutch coast this year have created a wave of orphaned baby seals — some with umbilical cords still attached — wrenched from their mothers and washed up on beaches and dikes.
An existing seal nursery near Groningen has been so inundated with pups and older seals in recent weeks that it has erected a temporary tent to house them in tanks and baths while they are nurtured back to health. They will eventually be returned to the wild.
Storms and high tides create problems for seals because the sand banks where they bask remain underwater, said Lenie ‘t Hart, who founded the nursery formally known as the Seal Rehabilitation and Research Center.
Many of them are young pups known as “screamers” for their high-pitched whining.
“They are little babies missing their moms pretty much, so it sounds like babies crying,” said 23-year-old American volunteer Torrey Utne of Boston, who has been working at the nursery since late last year.
