Four harbor seal pups — including one rescued by the Seacoast Science Center’s Marine Mammal Rescue Team — returned to the wild this week, released into the Atlantic Ocean at Sagamore Beach in Bourne, Mass.
Volunteers transported the seal pups in oversized crates from the parking area down to the beach. One at a time, the pups slid on their bellies along a sandy path cleared for them in the rocky shoreline. Sagamore, a secluded beach with few people, offers a quiet area for releasing marine mammals into the sea.
The four seals were rehabilitated at the National Marine Life Center in Buzzards Bay, Mass. An independent, non-profit organization, NMLC rehabilitates and releases stranded marine mammals and sea turtles that are brought to the center by marine wildlife organizations, like New Hampshire’s Seacoast Science Center in Rye.
“When it comes to rehabilitation and rescue, we’re not interfering with the natural balance of things,” said Brian Yurasits, Seacoast Science Center’s marine mammal rescue community outreach manager.
“We’re not trying to save every animal. We are responding to animals that are suffering and in pain on the beach,” he said.
That was the case for Achilles, a male harbor seal pup, when reports first came in around sunset on June 26. When the marine mammal rescue team responded, the seal pup was lethargic and suffered from human interaction.
Well-meaning bystanders had poured water on him, attempted to feed him fresh scallops and crowded around him. Achilles was kept at the Seacoast Science Center in Rye overnight before the team transported him to NMLC the following morning.
The staff there determined that the harbor seal pup was suffering from an abscess in his right front flipper and an infected umbilicus. The abscess was drained and flushed, and Achilles was treated with penicillin.
“It doesn’t matter whether we’re talking about seals or sea turtles, a lot of our animals that come through the doors are here because of us, human beings that are causing the environment to change,” said Lisa Becker, director of marine wildlife rehabilitation at NMLC.
“There’s a lot of threats for these animals out there, and I think we really need to give back to these animals. We really need to do our part.”
Harbor seals like Achilles are the most common species the organizations deal with at this time of year because their breeding season occurs from May to June and pups naturally separate from their mothers at that time. Gray, harp and hooded seals are species found along the coasts of New Hampshire and Northern Mass.
On average, the Marine Mammal Rescue Team responds to 100 to 110 animals per year. The 2018 Harbor Seal Unusual Mortality Event was an exception, with 298 responses for the year.
“The work that we do is to advance the science and understanding of these mammals,” Yurasits said. This includes disease surveillance, data collection and tracking of the animals after release via satellite tags.
For Marine Mammal Rescue intern Taylor Leitch, Tuesday’s release was her first opportunity to see hard work pay off.
“I’m all for getting outside,” she said. “I found the Seacoast Science Center and learned about Marine Mammal Rescue, which was a way for me to have a really direct and really positive impact on the world around me.”
If you see a marine mammal on the beach, stay 150 feet away, keep dogs leashed and call the Marine Mammal rescue hotline at (603) 997-9448. It’s completely normal for seals to be on the beach. Feeding them or pouring water on them can be detrimental to their health.
For more information about the release of Achilles and the work of the Marine Mammal Rescue Team, visit their Facebook page.
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August 27, 2021 at 12:25AM
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