SeaLife Updates: September 2022 Edition |
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Leo’s Lightning-fast Galumph Home! |
Leo is one of 36 harbor seal pups admitted to the rescue center so far this year. Like most of these patients, Leo was separated from his mom when she was scared off by people getting too close to him on the beach. Too young to survive on his own, Leo received a special, high-fat formula in place of his mother’s milk several times a day when he first arrived at the rescue center. Once his teeth came in, he was able to start fish school and learned how to eat whole fish. |
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Leo gained 35 pounds on a steady diet of herring over the next few weeks as he readied to return home. When that joyous day arrived, Leo galumphed so fast back into the ocean that only his flippers touched the ground!
With diligent care, fragile pups grow strong because of you. Thank you for supporting Leo’s triumphant return home. |
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Steller Sea Lion Freed from Plastic Strap |
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In early July, local whale watching operators reported seeing a Steller sea lion with a packing strap entangled around its neck, carving deeply into its skin and blubber. |
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| Now free of its entanglement, the 500-pound Steller sea lion was observed on multiple days acting normally and socializing with other sea lions. SR³ was proud to collaborate with partner organizations on this complex rescue mission to remove the strap and save the animal’s life! |
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Emergency Protections Issued for Southern Residents |
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Aerial image showing J31, an adult female Southern Resident killer whale, with her young calf, J56 in September 2019. J56 is now one of the 13 currently vulnerable whales. Image collected using a remotely-piloted octocopter drone that was flown >100ft above the whales under NMFS Research Permit #19091. |
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An emergency order was issued this summer by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), declaring 13 individual Southern Resident killer whales (SRKWs) as vulnerable based on measurements from SR³’s non-invasive drone photographs.
Twelve of these whales were identified to be in poor body condition and one whale was measured to likely be in late-stage pregnancy. Whales in poor body condition have been found to have an increased probability of mortality in the coming months. |
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This designation offers the whales extra space and further protection by requiring commercial whale-watching vessels to keep at least one-half nautical mile away from the vulnerable whales and their traveling companions. Studies have shown that boats and ships can cause disturbance, particularly by creating noise that impacts killer whales’ ability to navigate, communicate, and most importantly, find food.
Thank you to everyone who supports our ongoing killer whale research! Because of you, we can continue to monitor the health of killer whales, both in the Salish Sea and beyond. |
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Welcome Scott to the SR³ Team!
We’re excited to introduce you to Scott, SR³’s first-ever Senior Giving Officer. Scott has more than 12 years of experience in fundraising and donor relations, has a degree in Human Biology from Stanford University, practiced law in Los Angeles, and of course loves the ocean. With the incredible growth that SR³ has had over the past few years, we needed someone to coordinate donations and help increase philanthropic support.
Welcome to the team, Scott! |
| Half-Ton of Garbage Collected
In another successful International Coastal Cleanup Day event, 80 SR³ volunteers and local partners came together this past Saturday to protect marine animals and their ocean home.
Over the past three years of celebrating this event, dedicated people like you have helped us remove 1,145 pounds of dangerous garbage from the Salish Sea!
Let’s keep the effort going – be mindful of items you use/discharge/discard, so we can protect the waters that we share with our marine animal neighbors. |
| Incredible Interns to the Rescue! The SeaLife Rescue Center wouldn’t be able to care for sick and injured sealife without the many hours our hardworking interns put into animal care.
Cheers to our summer interns. Mackenzie, Rachel, Sarah, Megan, Kimmie and Chrissy, thank you for every harbor seal, fur seal, sea turtle, and elephant seal you’ve helped!
With 18 patients still in care, the cleaning and feeding continues. Give a warm welcome to the fall interns: Amanda, Emma, Amie, Hannah and Melina, thanks for your hard work helping seal pups return to the wild! |
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SR³ relies on your generosity to carry out all of this vital work. Your gift today will go directly toward rescuing and protecting many more marine animals in urgent need - thank you! |
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