Stratford resident Joseph Koripsky emailed in these pictures of a harp seal that appeared at Short Beach last week.

From Joe’s email:

“The attached images are of a juvenile Harp Seal.

It was a lone individual, that appeared at the popular town beach, on April 18-19.

It was seen resting on a sandbar during periods of low tide.

It's total length was about 4 feet.

Adult harp seals can attain about 6 ft. in length.

Adults have a brown "saddle" or "harp-shape" patch on their back.

This seal species is more often seen off of Canada.

Strays have occurred as far south as Virginia.

Unlike most wild animals, this Harp Seal demonstrated little fear of humans.

For this reason, Harp Seals are easily targeted for their fur, by commercial hunters.

They can easily be approached and clubbed to death.

At this time, it appears to have left the area.

For this reason, I am making these images available, showcasing the interesting wildlife that can be found along Stratford's coastal ecosystem.”