Seal pups are cute, but not for cuddling.

See a seal pup? Don't pick it up.

That's the message of the Marina Mammal Center's Leave Seals Be campaign, which is in full force through the spring harbor seal weaning season.

If you spot a distressed or abandoned seal pup, keep your distance and don't disturb it. Stay at least 50 feet away, and keep other people and dogs away, too. Then report the pup to the Center's 24-hour hotline: (831) 633-6298.

The Center's trained volunteers will monitor the pup to see if its mom returns - she's often waiting nearby. "The Center never removes a pup from its mother during this critical nursing period unless it's apparent the mother is no longer around and the animal is weak and ill," the Center states. "There’s nothing better for a pup than the antibodies and nutrition the mother’s milk provides, and this is an extremely important time in a young animal’s development."

If she isn't around, trained wildlife rescuers will take it to its rehabilitation center in Sausalito. At last count, the center had 44 seal patients, and that number is rising as reports roll in along the 600-mile rescue range from Mendocino to San Luis Obispo counties.

Teeny Tot, one of the season's first seal pups admitted to the center,  was rescued at Pebble Beach in on March 3. He was only a day old and about 10 pounds, with his umbilical cord still attached. "He was found alone, surrounded by people and dogs, as well as sea gulls," the Center reports. "He was then brought to the Center where he was given warmth, hydration and good nutrition."