By Kate Hruby, Communication and Education Coordinator
A young, malnourished harbor seal rests on the beach.
While harbor seal pupping season is winding down in Washington State, that doesn’t mean our work at the Rescue Center is dwindling. Summer patients are reaching release weight and returning to the ocean. Seals with complex medical cases are continuing to get treatment. And animals out in the wild are facing a seasonal transition; while we’re no longer seeing cases of maternal abandonment, marine mammals are still impacted by human disturbance and interaction, off-leash dogs, and ocean pollution, among many other struggles. Pups that survived successfully with their mothers are still facing human-caused threats that leave them in need of help.
In the past few weeks, the SR3 team took to the field with the help of our response partners, assessing stranded harbor seals between Tacoma and Seattle. Here are the stories of two.
Poverty Bay Pup
SR3’s Response Coordinator KC, along with MaST’s Community Engagement Coordinator Aeriel assess a harbor seal pup who was rescued off the beach.
Response Coordinator KC feels along the harbor seal’s spine, finding a location between his vertebrae to administer necessary fluids.
The Marine Science and Technology (MaST) Center Aquarium rescued a harbor seal off the beach who was malnourished and lethargic. Upon closer inspection, the seal’s eyes were very dry - a sign of dehydration - and crusted with sand. We provided emergency care in the field, administering fluids and sugars. Sadly, despite the urgent medical care, he did not survive. We later confirmed that he had no food in his stomach or intestines, suggesting that he had not been eating. He also had puncture wounds on his flippers.
West Seattle Pup
Later that week, SR3 responded to another malnourished harbor seal pup a little farther up the coast with another response partner, Seal Sitters. This animal had wounds on his flippers, and while he was alert and looking around on the beach, he was skinny enough to have a visible skeletal structure.
The harbor seal from the first image in this story, with points of his skeletal structure labeled. A healthy harbor seal with a thick blubber layer and strength to hold up their head and flippers is pictured for comparison
SR3 Veterinarian, Dr. Christine, assesses the harbor seal pup in the field before placing him in a carrier to transport him back to the Rescue Center.
He was admitted to the Rescue Center and provided with intensive medical care, but sadly did not survive the night. A necropsy (an animal autopsy) showed that, aside from the wounds and malnourishment, he also had severely inflamed and infected intestines.
Both of these cases mark a seasonal transition - pups are no longer malnourished because of maternal abandonment and are instead facing other hardships that lead to their starvation. Unfortunately, people can be one of those hardships (please keep your pets on a leash and keep your distance from marine mammals). But while we’re often the problem, we can also be the solution and help these animals in need. If you ever see a marine mammal that looks skinny, wounded, or sick, please stay far away and call the experts to safely assess the situation and get the animal the care they need.