Two more harbor seal pups are being treated at the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward, bringing to six the number of seal pup patients in the care of the center’s Wildlife Response Program.
All are considered to be in various stages of recovery.
The latest, a harbor seal pup found on a beach in Juneau with no other seals in the area, arrived at ASLC on Friday, June 25. The pup appeared to be very underweight. Preliminary examination results were not immediately available.
On June 22, a female pup from Port Moller on the Alaska Peninsula was transported to the center by Lake Clark Air, which had donated a flight for another pup the previous week. Major concerns of veterinarians doing the initial exam on this pup were low body weight, dehydration and a puncture wound on her flipper, likely from a predator.
The other four harbor seal pups already at the center include a male pup found in Seward on May 27 who presented neurological issues and vision impairment likely from a difficult birth.
The male pup found at Port Moller on June 15 is still in critical care, having arrived severely underweight and very weak from malnutrition, but veterinarians said they are cautiously optimistic that he will regain the strength he needs to recover.
Two other seals, one from the Little Susitna River and one from Anchor Point, are progressing more rapidly and are now in outdoor holding areas with their own pools. They are graduating from re-hydrating liquids to fish formula and even some whole fish.
Their care is made possible by donations from corporate sponsors and individual donors. More information about the center is available at www.alaskasealife.org.
