Thursday, November 5, 2009

Rescuing a Stranded Seal with Injuries - WARNING GRAPHIC PHOTOS

Hi all,

It was a busy day in the field today. This morning we received a call from a person on Humarock Beach in Scituate, Mass. who found a stranded seal. For any of you who have followed this blog you know that seals commonly come out of the water to rest on shore and are often not injured or "stranded." As always it's important to keep your distance and observe the seal without disturbing it. You can report a seal you think is stranded by calling the 24-hour Marine Animal Hotline: (617) 973-5247.

The Rescue Team will not approach these seals unless there is an obvious injury. This seal, however, did have an injury and was lethargic. The following pictures show what that looks like.


Photos above were taken by Donald Armstrong. I authorized Donald to approach this
seal for good photographs, which I then used to make the decision to collect the animal. (Click to enlarge)


Photo by Donald Armstrong. In this photo you can see the blood around the lower jaw and dribbling down the chest of the animal.

Kate and New England Aquarium Veterinarian Dr. Julie Cavin took a team down to assess the animal and determined that it did need to be collected. They collected it and performed a physical exam, including blood collection and analysis. It was difficult to determine the source of the blood since there was a significant amount of it.


This photo was taken during the physical exam. The towel is used in restraint so that the animal is not able to bite the person holding the seal while the vet examines the wounds. Notice the rings around this animal's eyes. Seals don't have return tear ducts so wet rings is a sign of good hydration in seals.



The seal was kenneled after the exam and transported to the University of New England (UNE) Marine Animal Rehabilitation Center. The seal will undergo a series of diagnostics over the next several says to determine the cause of the wounds and its overall health. Our network partners at UNE will have their work cut out for them with this case. We'll keep you posted on her condition (yes it is a little female).

- Connie

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posted by Connie at 5:18 PM 1 Comments



Saturday, July 11, 2009

Seals Don't Eat Hot Dogs!

Harbor seal pups have arrived on the NH and MA coast! Adam posted about pupping season on June 24 with tips of what to do and what not to do when you see a seal on the beach (remember seals are semi-aquatic and it is normal for them to rest on shore). This past week, the rescue department has had several cases, unfortunately, where people did not follow these tips. We had people trying to feed seals hot dogs, seals being covered with blankets, and going for rides in a cooler. Hopefully we can all learn from the following stories.

Story #1: When you see a seal on the beach, call the New England Aquarium hotline at 617-973-5247 instead of trying to help the seal on your own. Last week we received a call from an individual who had a seal in his truck and was bringing it to the aquarium. Supposedly this seal had been on a beach in Salisbury for two days, but it was the first the Rescue Department heard of it! Rescue staff met with the person, who had it in a cooler (vented at least) and wrapped in a blanket in the back of a truck. Seals should never ever be covered because they can easily overheat. "Shivering" is more than likely a stress response from people being too close, so the best thing is to stay at least 150 feet away. This particular seal was hot to the touch. It also had other health problems including a swollen rear flipper. Rescue staff and volunteers brought the seal to the University of New England (UNE) Marine Animal Rehabilitation Center for medical treatment.
The seal was picked up off the beach and placed in a cooler.

Story #2: This is another reminder that seals should never be wrapped in blankets, which can cause them to overheat and lead to death. On the 4th of July, we received information that a person picked up a seal and dropped it off at a whale watch company in NH for care. Luckily the whale watch staff called us immediately for instructions and we were able to meet them to collect the seal. The seal had originally been wrapped in a blanket, sitting on someone's lap on the way to the whale watch. First of all, seals are wild animals that carry diseases so this person is lucky he/she did not get bit. Also, the seal's body temperature was over 105 degrees Fahrenheit, which is much too hot for a seal. We brought this animal to UNE as well, and unfortunately it passed away not too long after arrival. Although this animal was likely in poor health on the beach as well, the improper transport did not help the situation.

This pup was brought to a whale watch company wrapped in a blanket. The rescue team brought it to UNE and assisted with the exam on the 4th of July.

Story #3: A seal was resting on a beach in NH and we had a field volunteer take a look at it. It seemed to be in pretty good condition except it appeared stressed...shivering slightly and labored breathing. The volunteer noted that a child was sitting about one foot from the seal, although lifeguards had put up signs to keep a 150 foot distance. There were also reports that people tried to feed the seal hot dogs. We know those are not in a seal's normal diet! When you see a seal on the beach, keep your distance for your safety and the seal's safety. Also, never try to feed a seal. Seals eat live food, and food handled or prepared by humans can be dangerous for them. We monitored as a 24 hour watch, receiving updates on it once to twice a day, and the seal ended up going back in the water on it's own.

A harbor seal pup rests on the beach.

Also remember that seals are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act, which means people can be fined or arrested for harassing a seal, or altering its normal behavior in any way. So keep your distance and call our stranding hotline right away if you see a sick or injured seal on the beach!

~Kerry

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posted by Kerry at 12:27 PM 1 Comments



Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Don't Touch that Seal!

While our turtles are still doing great in the Sea Turtle Recovery Room I thought I would post about seal pup season, which is now upon us. Harbor seal pups are now being born along our coastline. Here are some tips and information about viewing seals.

First thing to know is that it is completely normal for a seals to rest on shore. These animals are semi-aquatic so they spend part of their normal life "hauled-out" (like this one did) on dry land.


A healthy little Harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) pup. They are cute but it is illegal to approach, touch or harass any marine mammal in any way.

All marine mammals are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act which makes it illegal to touch harass or alter their normal behavioral pattern in any way. Doing so can result in heavy fines and arrest.

Harbor seal pups will spend approximately four weeks with their moms before being weaned at which point the seal mom leaves the pup to fend for itself. During the nursing period the mother seal will leave the baby alone while foraging. A mother seal will not return to the pup until it does not see any people around it and even though you may not see her she definitely can see you.


A Gray seal (Halichoreus grypus) pup still with its lanugo coat.


The best thing for these seal pups is to stay with their mom until they are weaned. If they are moved from the area or disturbed by human interaction mom may abandon the pup.

A few things to remember when you come across a seal on the beach:
  • Never Cover a seal- this may overheat the seal which can cause death because it already has fur and a blubber layer that will keep it warm while on land. "Shivering" is typically a sign of stress which means you are too close to the seal.

  • Never pour water onto the seal - This may inhibit the animals' ability to warm itself.

  • Never try and feed the animal- Foods made by or handled by humans could be problematic for seals. Seals eat live food and will generally ignor items placed near them on the beach. Seals do not necessarily eat daily, they will go back in the water when the want to eat.
  • Do not handle the seal- This is breaking the law!

  • Do call the New England Aquarium hotline - at 617-973-5247
What will happen to the seal when you call our hotline? We will ask a variety of questions to assess the health of the seal and the location. For example we will ask questions regarding the animal's body condition, length, weight, activity level, and alertness. We are boiling this down of course, but this is the gist of it. It is also import for us to obtain an exact location so we can send a volunteer or respond ourselves if necessary.

If the animal appears to be resting with no signs of distress we will put the animal on "watch" which means we leave the seal on the beach and do additional health assessments once or twice a day until the animal returns to the ocean on its own or we determine that there is indeed a health problem.


A weaned harbor seal pup

It is very important to call us right away if you happen to see an entagled seal or a seal with an injury. When viewing wildlife it is always best to admire from a distance so that you can enjoy them behaving in a normal manner.

-Adam

You can find out more about what the Marine Animal Rescue Team guidelines on these pages.


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posted by Adam at 10:05 AM 0 Comments