ROCKPORT — On Jan. 9, just before the storm began its rampage along the coast of Maine, a young seal pup made its way up from Rockport Harbor to the lee of a house that sits on a bluff overlooking the water. He secured refuge outside the front door, as if sensing the woman who lived there would care for him.

With great kindness she did just that, ensuring sanctuary through 18 hours of gale force winds and driving rain.

The next day, as the storm raged on and humans passed by on the road, they exclaimed over the pup, wondering if he was OK. Some made calls for rescue, but the young woman, who prefers to remain anonymous, was way ahead of everyone. She had been in touch with Marine Mammals of Maine and Allied Whale, both organizations dedicated to the rescue of marine animals in distress. (And both in need of donations, the woman urged us to tell the public.)

The pup, blanketed in a coat of white, silver and gray fur, moved about the yard as seals do, withstanding the attention of curious humans, their noise and cameras.

It was thought he hauled himself out of the water the previous night, when snow still covered the Midcoast, moving across an asphalt parking lot before wriggling 50 yards to the house. 

His age was estimated to be approximately one month. That is a time, it is said, when seal pups are encouraged by their mothers to go off on their own. 

The woman just happened to open her door around 9 p.m., and there lay the pup, eager for contact.

“We are so grateful to the homeowner who quickly reported him for advice, shared their yard so the pup could happily and safely rest during the storm, and helped the stranding team at Allied Whale at the College of the Atlantic evaluate him,” wrote Marine Mammals of Maine, the Brunswick-based nonprofit.

Leave him be for a bit and see if he goes back to the water, was the consensus.

But by the end of day, Jan. 10, the seal was not heading back to the ocean. Instead, he remained in by the bushes in the yard. A vet was due down to evaluate the pup.

“Despite being strong and stable, this pup's poor nutritional condition, combined with his wandering nature in a busy traffic, area meant survival on his own was unlikely,” wrote Marine Mammals of Maine, at its Facebook page. “So, he was admitted to our center for care with the hope of getting him healthy and back home as soon as possible.”

By the morning of Jan. 11, a team from Allied Whale, which is a program of College of the Atlantic and is authorized by NOAA Fisheries to respond to marine mammal emergencies and strandings from Rockland to the Canadian border, arrived in Rockport. Equipped with a dog crate, they encouraged the pup to settle into the temporary enclosure, and put him in the back of an SUV. 

From there, he rode down Route 1 to Brunswick.

“Like our Reid State Park gray seal pup, he is slowly settling in-a delicate process for wild animals,” said Marine Mammals of Maine, on Jan. 12. “For now, our team is balancing providing the care he very much needs with giving him space to decompress.”

Reach Editorial Director Lynda Clancy at lyndaclancy@penbaypilot.com; 207-706-6657