The Alaska SeaLife Center (ASLC) admitted a newborn harbor seal pup to the Wildlife Response Program on June 4 after the abandoned pup was rescued from Kenai Beach.
An initial call came to the ASLC Wildlife Response Department from a concerned local, who spotted the lone seal while walking along Kenai North Beach at night. Pictures sent to the team showed the pup was skinny with its umbilical cord still attached, indicating it was less than a week old.
In addition to its poor body condition, the pup’s mother had not been seen for many hours. With approval from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), ASLC volunteers set out to retrieve the pup. Unfortunately, the group was not able to locate it that night. The next morning, a second call came from the Kenai Peninsula Police Department, fielding a stranded pup report from a second concerned observer.
After confirming that the seal was the same one reported the previous night, ASLC staff worked with police officers and Kenai Animal Control to arrange a pickup. The initial caller agreed to wait with the pup until animal control arrived to place it in a kennel, and a police officer provided transport back to the Kenai Beach parking lot. The pup was then handed off to a volunteer and returned to the ASLC.
After an admission exam, the wildlife response and veterinary staff confirmed that the pup was dehydrated and underweight. The team is currently providing initial stabilizing treatments and examining the patient further to understand the severity of her condition.
With this new admission, the wildlife response team now has four harbor seal pups under its care. As updates on current patients become available, the ASLC’s Facebook and Instagram pages will share them.
Those interested in contributing to the care of these patients can visit the ASLC’s website: www.alaskasealife.org/donate.
