A gray seal pup is recovering from its ordeal at the New Jersey Marine Mammal Stranding Center
A baby seal rests after a dangerous collision with ocean debris.
A seal pup is recovering at the Marine Mammal Stranding Center (MMSC) in New Jersey after being found with a piece of plastic wrapped around its neck.
According to the center’s Facebook post, the baby gray seal came into the facility’s care on February 15. That day, the Marine Mammal Stranding Center received a call to its hotline about an entangled seal in Beach Haven, New Jersey.
“When our stranding team arrived, they discovered a seal pup entangled around the neck with plastic wrap from a box of bottled water. The female gray seal was immediately transported to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center where the entanglement was removed,” the center wrote of what then it happened.
The center’s post also included a photo of how the seal pup was found. In the picture, the baby animal appears on the sand with a large piece of plastic wrap around its neck.
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Rescuers appear to have found the seal shortly after it became entangled in the plastic because the garbage had not yet injured the animal’s neck. MMSC added on social media that the puppy arrived weighing 38.2 pounds.
“The puppy’s overall body condition was emaciated, she was lethargic and suffering from gastrointestinal issues. A full medical exam was performed by the MMSC veterinarian, and blood panels were provided to check for pre-existing medical conditions and determine a treatment plan,” he wrote is the center,
The seal pup will remain with MMSC until it recovers and is ready for release. The pup was likely going through the annual migration of gray seal pups when it was found.
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“These cubs are born from December to February and nurse for only about two weeks before their mother weans them. Many cubs now make the long swim from their birthplaces in New England and Canadian waters to New Jersey. Along the way, these recently weaned cubs learn forage on their own and avoid predators. By the time they get to our beaches, they need a break, and some pups that didn’t make it, like others on their journey, need help from the MMSC,” the center concluded in its post about the new puppy patient.
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According to ABC News, the recovering pup is the only stock of gray seals in the United States. The American group, which also resides in Canadian waters, is estimated to number about 450,000 seals and is protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Gray seals have a lifespan of 25-35 years, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), but those lives can be cut short by oil spills, ship strikes, fishing gear entanglements and pollution.
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Source: HIS Education