It’s official, the first harbor seal pups of the season have arrived and new reports are coming in to our hotline each day!

Meet the Pups!

Here are some of the harbor seal pups we have responded to and admitted for care so far this month. Each of these pups was nursing and entirely dependent on their mom for survival, and sadly became separated. Without the public’s hotline reports, a stranding response team, a 24/7 care center, and your support, there was no chance of survival on their own. Thankfully, with all these resources in place they are receiving round the clock care at our center, and will spend the next 3 months getting healthy and strong again with the hope of getting them back out to the wild.

Each day, every pup receives 5-6 customized feeds consisting of specialized formula. In addition to feeds we administer medical treatments informed by bloodwork collected and run at our facility. And, of course, lots of cleaning, scrubbing, dishes and laundry.

#28 Returns Home

You may remember the story of #28 from an earlier update. This very sick gray seal pup stranded on Short Sands Beach in York, Maine two months ago and was admitted to our facility for needed care. When first admitted he did not have the strength to lift his head. With slow, careful, and intensive care, this seal overcame significant obstacles and eventually graduated to swimming in the big pool, eating over 6 pounds of fish daily, and despite the extensive critical care he needed from us, he developed a healthy dislike for any kind of human presence or activity! All of which means he was, amazingly, ready to return to the wild, which he did on Monday, May 20. The odds of regaining strength and health were certainly not in #28’s favor, making us even more grateful for the opportunity to help him fight his way back home. #28 in the field prior to collection and in the early days receiving care #28 at release! Healthy and headed back to the ocean.

Caring for these patients is only possible because of generous contributions of all amounts. Thank you for being a part of our community that makes this all possible.