The Alaska SeaLife Center’s (ASLC) Wildlife Response Program has rescued two more female harbor seal pups, bringing the total number of patients to three.
The first pup was discovered in Kachemak Bay near Bradley Lake’s power plant by kayakers on May 20th.
According to Wildlife Response Curator Jane Belovarac, seal pups are supposed to shed their white lanugo coat. But this little girl didn’t.
“It actually falls off before they are born. So in utero, [it means] before they are born. And so that’s the way we can tell whether they are premature or not; if they’re a harbor seal and have that white fur, that means they are premature because it actually falls off and sheds inside of the mom before they are born,” said Belovarac.
She was spotted along the mud flats. Adding in that there was a high wind advisory, it would make a rescue extremely difficult.
After many hours on the phone with Homer water taxis and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) law enforcement, rescue attempts had to be called off.
However, two days later, another group called the Response Program with the same pup in the area. Considering the group had beached their small skiff in the area, they agreed to retrieve the seal and transport it from Kachemak Bay to Homer.
She was given to the ASLC staff there and returned safely to Seward.
The second harbor seal pup was saved in the Copper River Delta on May 27th when a Cordova State Wildlife Trooper called on behalf of a group of commercial fishermen.
The fisherman explained that the seal mother had not reappeared for multiple days and appeared to be weak.
NOAA allowed a wildlife trooper to retrieve the seal. The trooper landed a plane on a nearby beach and picked up the baby seal.
The pup received medical care from personnel in Cordova that night and caught a flight to Anchorage the next day.
NOAA officials then picked up the pup and handed it off to ASLC wildlife response staff.
During their exams, both pups were dehydrated and underweight. The female found near Bradley Lake was also suffering from several surface wounds and malnourishment.
Because premature harbor seal pups have only about a 50% survival rate when admitted to a wildlife response program, delicate care will be necessary. The team is currently providing initial stabilizing treatments to both patients and monitoring them closely to ensure the best possible chance of survival.
Belovarac does want to remind the community that we are in seal harbor season, and it’s important to know what to do if you find an abandoned pup.
“If they do see a small pup on the beach, to give us a call, and what we usually ask for is like, are there adults around? Is the place quiet? We ask for some pictures but don’t touch the seal without calling us first. And that number is 1-(888)-774-7325, and that 7325 actually spells out SEAL,” said Belovarac.
Updates will be shared on the ASLC’s Facebook and Instagram pages as they become available.