A
very lucky Friday the Thirteenth for this quartet
While
Friday the 13th is typically portrayed as a day of misfortune for
most, this morning’s seal release was quite possibly the luckiest day yet for
four harbor seal pups.
Mystic
Aquarium’s Animal Rescue Team transported harbor seals Wade, Carroll, Christie
and Shelley – each named for the 2019 release season’s theme of famous authors
– in the program’s fully-outfitted animal rescue vehicle to Rhode Island’s Blue
Shutter’s Beach.
The
seals and team members were welcomed by hundreds of community members who came
to support the seals’ lucky day.
Each
seal was considered to have been abandoned shortly after birth and were
initially rescued by Marine Mammals of Maine.
The
two male seals, Wade and Christie, and two female seals, Carroll and Shelley,
were each rescued in different locations in Maine.
All
seals arrived at Mystic Aquarium’s on-site Animal Rescue Clinic throughout the
month of June where each received standardized care provided to abandonment
cases which includes around-the-clock monitoring for the first several weeks of
rehab.
Following
roughly three months of care at the clinic, each seal was given a clean bill of
health by the Aquarium’s world-class veterinary team; deeming each prepared for
life at sea.
Photos courtesy of Mystic Aquarium
