As spring approaches, about one-third of the seals gather on the ice around Canada's Magdalene Islands, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Labrador to give birth. Within a week or so around March 1st of each year about 500,000 seal pups are born on the ice floes, providing one of the most spectacular wildlife events in North America. The white-coated pups are only about 60 cm long when they are born and weigh about 7 kilograms, but they grow quickly. Their mother's milk is 45% fat (compared to cow's milk at 4%) and the pups gain about two kg a day. In 12 days they weigh about 34 kilograms. After about three weeks, the females will abandon the pups, which will now weigh between 50 and 60 kg. The pups remain on shore for another two to three weeks during which time they molt, shedding their white coat for a mottled grey one. Once molted and having depleted their reserves of fat, the grey seal pups enter the waters and start to forage. For a large number of these pups, their foraging brings them to the shores of Nova Scotia. These seals, once they have fed, will come out of the water and rest for periods as long as 48 hours. So, it is quite normal to see a young seal resting on the shore, which inevitably brings them in contact with humans.
This baby seal was rescued by children when its mother has been butchered by the seal hunters which is still legal in Canada. With world attention, recent tours have begun bringing thousands of wildlife lovers to the ice floes to hunt the seals with cameras rather than clubs.