SEATTLE - This summer has seen a surge in seal sightings on Seattle shores.

Baby seals, especially, are turning up at some of the city's busiest beaches putting their safety at risk.

But now a sort of Puget Sound Support Group of surrogate parents are protecting those vulnerable newborns.

They call themselves "seal sitters" – a group of trained volunteers who watch over baby seals on our beaches while their mothers are out foraging for food:

"You do feel almost a maternal connection to these animals," said Nancy Poole.

On Sunday, a seal pup showed up on Alki Beach. People crowded around to get a look at the seal that appeared dead. But it was just taking a nap waiting for its mother's return.

That's where the seal sitters step in – setting up a perimeter and working 8 to 12 hour shifts to keep people and pets the federally mandated 100 yards away so the babies can rest in peace.

"It was worth it to know that the pup was okay and eventually made it back into the water," said Mike Gray.

Only about half of harbor seals make it through their first year of life, but their chances of survival are even worse if they come into too much contact with humans.

"Pets can attack pups and crowds of people often intimidate mother seals and end up driving them away," explained Brenda Peterson. "She'll keep coming back and coming back and if there are a lot of people she will eventually abandon her pup."

So far this year, the sitters have cared for a dozen pups including the one at Alki over Labor Day weekend.

But they'd like to see more people providing floats for the babies to lounge about on so they don't have to risk the beach.

Seals can spread disease, so people should never touch them.

To get in touch with the seal sitters, contact Brenda Peterson.