Dead seals found on Nahant beach

NAHANT – Following calls from residents who reported two dead seals on Nahant beaches over the weekend, Animal Control Officer Mike Kairevich wants residents to know it?s not out of the ordinary for the season.Nahant is just a stop on the way along the harp seal?s and harbor seal?s migratory route as they head north for the warm months, said Kairevich, and some of them stop to rest on some of the town?s many beaches, sometimes for days at a time, before moving along on their very long trip. A self-confessed animal lover, Kairevich said he?s worked with the New England Aquarium many times over the years to nurse the injured ones back to health.?I had a baby seal a few years ago who was injured who never should have tried to make the trip,” he said. “I put it on my seat in my truck and fed him sardines, and kept him in the truck the whole day with me waiting (for aquarium workers).”Others are not so lucky. According to police logs, a dead baby seal was found Friday around 4 p.m. on Tudor Beach, and again Sunday on Long Beach, mistakenly reported as a dolphin.Kairevich said he expects the calls every year from residents, public works workers and police reporting there is a dead seal on one of the beaches. He said in some cases where aquarium workers couldn?t do an autopsy, he would bury the seal?s body at the town?s dump, assisted by the Department of Public Works.Kairevich recalled some of the “wonderful encounters” he had when the seals would pop their heads out of the water while he was lobstering. “Mother Nature is a wonderful thing to watch, that?s why I?m still an animal control officer for Nahant and part time in Lynn,” he said.While wonderful to watch, Kairevich warned against beachgoers getting anywhere near the animals, alive or dead, because of their “nasty bite.”?If you see one, report it to your local police,” he said.Kait Taylor can be reached at [email protected].