VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – An emaciated and out-of-its-range Guadalupe fur seal is being treated at the Vancouver Aquarium after being rescued from a beach in Pacific Rim National Park Reserve.
The aquarium says the adult male seal was spotted Tuesday in Ucluelet by a research associate, who determined the animal was in distress and alerted Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Parks Canada and the aquarium’s Marine Mammal Rescue Centre.
The seal swam away but was spotted again yesterday on a beach within the reserve, where it was rescued.
The Aquarium says the fur seal has been under intensive observation and treated with subcutaneous fluids, gastric protectants and antibiotics.
“He’s in poor condition, emaciated and dehydrated,” says Dr. Martin Haulena, head veterinarian at the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre. “Although he is very lethargic and has no interest in food at this time, he’s responsive and aware of his surroundings.”
The animal’s stranding in BC is of special interest because Guadalupe fur seals — usually found off the coast of California — are a threatened species in the US after being hunted almost to extinction.
Skinny will get top billing Monday at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport.
And why shouldn’t she. It’s not very often that a harbor seal reaches the age of 40 and Monday, June 1, is the celebration of her birthday.
Skinny is the oldest harbor seal in the Northwest, and the third oldest in the United States, according to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which keeps track of such things for accredited members. The average lifespan of female harbor seals is 25 to 30 years.
The Oregon Coast Aquarium will celebrate its golden girl with a birthday party June 1 in seal style. Fish filled ice cakes and piles of ice cubes to munch and lounge on will be on the menu. Entertainment will include enrichment activities like Kong toys stuffed with fishy snacks.
Skinny has been a part of the Oregon Coast Aquarium family from the beginning. She was found starving and orphaned as a pup on a beach in Everett, Wash., on June 1, 1975. She was deemed non-releasable and moved to a long term home at the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma. She later moved with a few of her exhibit mates to Newport just before the Aquarium opened in May 1992.
In her prime, Skinny was the dominant harbor seal in the Aquarium’s exhibit. She would often try to swipe fish other seals dropped, especially if it was her favorite food – herring.
She lost interest in maintaining the top spot when she started to lose her sight. The Aquarium’s mammalogists noticed the change, and trained her to respond to tactile, rather than the visual cues.
Despite her loss of eyesight, Skinny continues to learn new behaviors. Her most recent achievement is a high energy exercise oriented activity called a “tail walk.” When cued, Skinny will pop vertically out of the water to her middle, and then use her tail to waddle backwards in that upright position.
Aquarium visitors that wish to spot Skinny in the Pinniped Exhibit should look for her silver coat speckled with black spots and her surprised expression. “The easiest way to spot her is by her big eyes and how she holds her whiskers forward to help her feel her way around the exhibit,” said Brittany Blades, a mammalogist at the Aquarium, in a statement released by the Aquarium.
The Oregon Coast Aquarium is dedicated to the highest quality aquatic and marine science programs for recreation and education so that the public better understands, cherishes, and conserves the world’s natural marine and coastal resources. An accredited Association of Zoos & Aquariums institution, the non-profit organization is ranked as one of the top 10 aquariums in the United States. The address is 2820 S.E. Ferry Slip Rd., South Beach, Newport, Oregon; aquarium.org, 541-867-3474.
Season of Seal Babies Again on Oregon Coast: Cause for Warnings
Published 04/16/2015
(Seaside, Oregon) – Seal pup season has arrived again on the Oregon coast, as the Seaside Aquarium and the Marine Mammal Stranding Network responded to the groups’ first harbor seal baby of the year this week.
Tiffany Boothe of Seaside Aquarium passed on these photos of the spring’s initial offering of adorableness. But it also brought cause for a warning from coastal officials.
While cute and cuddly beyond belief, you absolutely have to let these little ones alone.
Boothe said that well-meaning people sometimes think that a baby seal alone on the beach has been abandoned, but this is not the case. The mother is often nearby, watching, but will not approach with people around. If the baby seal is moved, it has no chance of reuniting with its mother.
“Mammal researches have found that most pups reunite with their mothers after appearing to be ‘abandoned’ for many hours,” Boothe said. “Well-meaning people who remove seal pups from beaches are eliminating the possibility of the pup being reunited with their mother. These people are also violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and they may face criminal and or civil penalties.
“The best thing for you to do is to keep well away from this seal pup thereby reducing stress on the pup and/or alarming its mother.”
The aquarium has dealt with some especially dim-witted members of the public in the past when it comes to harbor seal pups. One year, aquarium manager Keith Chandler had to track down a nearly newborn and finally discovered it had been taken to someone’s hotel room, where they had placed it in a bathtub.
Another example of bad behavior happened in 2007. A newborn – only a foot long – had been spotted in three different beaches just south of Cannon Beach. Numerous beach-goers picked it up and tried to put it back in the surf. This could’ve caused the pup serious harm, if these actions had somehow spooked the mother or otherwise caused the seal to get lost from her.
If it a seal pup is on the beach, Boothe said you can be sure it is resting – and probably in need of a lot of rest. She said they are like all babies: they simply need a lot of sleep.
By going near a resting pup or picking it up, you actually could get it killed. This is why when the Seaside Aquarium – or any section of the Marine Mammal Stranding Network along the coast – responds to such calls they set out “do not disturb” signs around, and maybe even rope the area off.
Anyone who observes incidents of seal pup harassment, or animals in distress, should call the Oregon State Police at 1-800-452-7888.
More photos of this seal from Boothe below.
More baby seal photos from previous years from Boothe:
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This Jan. 20, 2015 photo shows Bryce, a blind harbor seal pup, at the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward, Alaska. The seal, rescued in December, was deemed unfit to be released back into the wild. (AP Photo/Alaska SeaLife Center, Jenna Miller)
AP Photo/Alaska SeaLife Center, Jenna Miller
SEWARD, Alaska – A blind harbour seal is learning basic behaviours such as being fed by hand at an Alaska aquarium.
Officials at the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward say the pup, named Bryce, was rescued in late December in Homer, Alaska.
The veterinary staff at the centre believes he suffered a head trauma, which caused his blindness.
Officials say in a release that Bryce is learning basic husbandry behaviours, such as hand-feeding and learning how to target based on audible cues when staff members shake a rattle in place of a target buoy.
Centre staff members say he might have improving sight, but only in one eye.
Federal officials say Bryce can’t be released back into the wild, so he will stay at the centre until a permanent home can be found.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA (CBC News/CNN) — Four newborn seal pups, some with their umbilical cords still attached, are being cared for by the Vancouver Aquarium after being rescued from B.C. shores on Tuesday.
B.C. resident Mark Levagood and his daughter saw one of the exhausted seal pups struggling to get onto a rock on Ogden Point in Victoria.
The male pup, which has been named Tantalum by volunteers, was airlifted to the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Centre, where it is now recovering.
Manager Lindsaye Akhurst said the seal pup is doing fairly well, but had been through a lot before being rescued.
It’s birthing season for seals in B.C.
And that means it’s a busy time of year for Vancouver’s aquarium.
During harbour seal birthing season, newborns often get separated from their mothers and need a new home for a little while.
Several lost pups have been discovered this week.
The aquarium has taken care of more than 40 of these temporary guests in the last month.
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