Recently, on a trip to Cape Cod, I took an early morning boat tour to go seal watching. Other than noticing how adorable they were and their striking resemblance to dogs, I also found that they are curious by nature (something I can definitely relate to). Whether sunbathing on sandbanks or drifting in water, they never failed to turn their heads as we passed by. I did some research and found that The National Geographic corroborates this theory. They portray seals as “naturally curious and playful,” which, from what I saw, seemed to be exactly correct.
However, they went on to say that this characteristic of their personality may actually do them more harm than good. Curiosity is wonderful for cognitive and learning purposes, however, it can also be very dangerous for many animals in our modern world. Their curiosity may lead them directly into the net of a fisherman. Our guide also told us that on occasion, seals will thrust themselves onto fishing boats in search of food unaware of the potential for injury.
This is why we as humans need to be extremely cautious of marine animals that may just be observing something they find peculiar, and then get themselves into a dangerous predicament. It is important to research the areas we travel around to avoid anything of the sort. They cannot change their nature, but we can change our ways.
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