Katie Collett
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY.com) - Jimmy Hillegass hit the beach in Sandbridge early Sunday morning to snap some quick shots of the sunrise, but his focus quickly changed.
"I noticed something rather large down on the other end of the beach," says Hillegass.
He pointed his lens at the mysterious object near the Little Island Fishing Pier.
"I saw more people kind of walking down. I saw dogs going around this...I thought maybe it was a log."
Jimmy moved closer and he found it wasn't a log at all. It was a gray seal stranded on the beach.
"You could tell it was in trouble. It had those sad, puppy dog eyes."
Jimmy's heart broke for the animal, so he contacted WAVY.com for help. We called the Virginia Aquarium Stranding Response team who said they tried to help the seal Saturday evening, but it got dark fast making it dangerous to monitor the seal.
When crews went out after Jimmy left the beach Sunday morning, the gray seal was gone.
"As I was leaving I noticed the tide was coming in I'm thinking, well maybe that's what it would take to ship this seal out," said Jimmy.
However, rescue crews say they actually wanted the seal to stay on shore.
One stranding technician told WAVY.com the seal's behavior was a little off and he looked thin, possibly 200 pounds on his six foot long frame. She wanted to see if he was healthy enough to get back in the water and that's all Jimmy hopes for as well.
"Hopefully it'll live and if not, it'll feed other life."
The gray seal is rare to our area and officials say while it may be cute, it's one of the most aggressive of seals near our shores.
So, if it washes up again, keep your distance, keep all pets on a leash, and immediately call the Virginia Aquarium Stranding Response team at 437-6159.
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