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Wildlife Rescue Team Update – July 2009

It’s been a roller coaster month for the rehab department. We’ve taken in three new rescued harbor seal pups, but are saddened by the loss of Skittle, Butterscotch, and Taffy.

Harbor Seals:

Jujube was the first new pup of the month.  He was brought in 4th of July weekend after some well-meaning people picked him up near the Seward waterfall and carried him to the SeaLife Center.  The rehab team took Jujube back to the waterfall in hopes his mother would come back for him, but she never returned.  Staff members are still unclear if Jujube was orphaned or if his mother was just out foraging for food.  This is a huge reminder to anyone who thinks he or she might have found a stranded animal: avoid touching or approaching the animal and call first!  Jujube had a swollen right flipper and a cut between his tail and left flipper, but he has healed almost completely.  Jujube is very playful and loves rolling around his haul-out area.

Pez arrived at the rehabilitation center on July 10th from the Homer Spit.  He was mildly dehydrated and underweight with multiple bite wounds on his body.  The rehab team is having trouble getting Pez to gain weight, but his fish formula is fueled with salmon oil to help fatten him.  Pez is very small for his age, but that doesn’t seem to bother him.  Pez thinks he is much bigger than his true size.  He is very aggressive and bites every chance he gets.

Twinkie is eating 360 grams of herring, four times a day.  He has been moved into his own pool and haul-out area on the outside deck.  This area allows him to socialize with the other pups and minimizes human interaction.  Twinkie is the goofball of the bunch and is always entertaining himself. 

Milky Way Midnight has moved into the graduation pool, which is one of the last steps before release.  His 420 grams of herring get shot into the pool through three different fish cannons.  He is definitely the largest pup and has become quite the butterball.  He now weighs 24.7 kg (54.5 lbs) with the release weight set at 25 kg. Blubber and all, Milky Way Midnight’s release date is set for the end of August. 

We have some sad news from the rehabilitation department.  Two of our harbor seal pups, Taffy, who came in the beginning of July, and Butterscotch, have passed away. Both pups were diagnosed with mega-esophagus.  Mega-esophagus is a condition involving digestive motility problems that causes the regurgitation of undigested food, often leading to aspiration and pneumonia.  Taffy died as a result of aspiration and Butterscotch was humanely euthanized.

Because of the two diagnoses of mega-esophagus, the rehab team is being very vigilant.  Jelly Bean, Cupcake, and Starburst are alternating feeds between fish formula and whole fish, and they are doing well.  The cause behind development of mega-esophagus in the pups is still unknown, however.  Staff members are taking precautions and doing what they can to prevent future cases.

Glaucous-winged gulls:

Twizzler and Slurpee were rescued from the Seward boat harbor. This is a tricky time of year for gulls at the fish barge.  Gulls will often get tangled up in disposed fish parts or become too greasy from oil to fly.  Unable to leave the frigid water, they become hypothermic.  Slurpy was trapped in a fish cleaning station after becoming too oily to fly.  Twizzler had a little bit more trouble.  He was found off the J-dock with a fish carcass wrapped around his body.  As a result, his leg was injured and he had a limp.  Both birds healed quickly without any further problems and have since been released.

In Memory of Skittle:

The SeaLife Center lost one of its most charismatic animals this month.  Skittle passed away early in the morning July 22nd.  Skittle had removed part of a concrete and steel drain cover in his habitat and was trapped in a wastewater pipe.  Skittle had been living in the harbor seal habitat for 85 days and was due to be transferred to the New York Aquarium in September.  He was under regular video monitoring and staff members routinely performed inspections of his habitat.  A full assessment of Skittle’s handling and the habitat itself is underway to ensure we learn from this experience.  The rehab team would like to thank everyone who gave his or her condolences.  Skittle will always be in our hearts and memories.

The Alaska SeaLife Center operates a 24-hour hotline for the public to report stranded marine mammals or birds, and encourages people who think they may have found a stranded or sick marine animal to avoid touching or approaching the animal.  Call first!

1-888-774-SEAL