Latest News News Archives
August 11, 2023ASLC Mourns the Loss of Special Wildlife Response Patient
Since his arrival, the walrus calf had been struggling with a number of serious health concerns on top of nutrient malabsorption, which can make treatment difficult to stay ahead of. Dr. Carrie, ASLC Director of Animal Health, explains that the calf was struggling with multiple complications, including hypoglycemia and gastrointestinal problems, in the 24 hours leading up to his passing.
August 3, 2023Rare Pacific Walrus Calf Admitted to the Alaska SeaLife Center Wildlife Response Program
The Alaska SeaLife Center is caring for a male Pacific walrus calf that arrived from the North Slope of Alaska on August 1, 2023. This is the Center’s first walrus patient in four years, and one of only ten admitted in the Center’s 25-year history, making this an exceptional case for the Wildlife Response Program and a rare opportunity for all involved.
July 27, 2023Neisha Jones Fills New Director of People and Culture Role at the ASLC
The Alaska SeaLife Center is proud to announce that Neisha Jones has been chosen to become the Center’s first Director of People and Culture. In this newly created executive leadership position, Jones will serve as the organizational lead for all human resources and diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion (DEAI) functions. Jones is a certified professional in human resources and a diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (DEIJ) practitioner with over 10 years of experience practicing human resources in the public, non-profit, and education industries. Jones’ extensive work with national organizations is a major asset in ASLC’s DEAI efforts and advancement of organizational environmental initiatives within Alaska and beyond.
July 20, 2023Dr. John Fraser Fills New Director of Mission Impact Role at the Alaska SeaLife Center
The ASLC is excited to announce the appointment of John Fraser, Ph.D., AIA as the organization’s new Director of Mission Impact beginning on July 17, 2023. Dr. Fraser is a noted international conservation psychologist and architect, known in the zoo and aquarium community for leading research on the social value of zoos and aquariums. Fraser was a founder of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Research and Technology Committee and has continued service on that committee for the past 15 years.
June 14, 2023ASLC admits five more harbor seal pups in June
June 14, 2023 - Over a nine-day period in early June, five harbor seal pups were admitted to the Alaska SeaLife Center’s (ASLC) Wildlife Response Program. With these new patients joining four from late May, nine harbor seal pups are now under ASLC care.
Three newborns arrived in quick succession — a male from Pilot Point on June 2, a female from Homer on June 3, and a male from Kenai on June 4. The fourth and fifth pups — a male from Homer and a female from Nikiski — were admitted on June 8 and 10, respectively. All five seals were reported to the ASLC’s 24-hour Stranded Marine Animal Hotline (1-888-774-7325).
Upon discovery, each of the five pups was dehydrated, underweight, and had umbilical cords still attached, pointing to abandonment or separation shortly after birth. Newborn seal pups cannot survive long without maternal care, and in each of the five cases, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) approved rescue after determining the seals were unlikely to survive without intervention. With help and coordination from members of the public, ASLC volunteers, and NOAA officials, all five pups arrived safely at the Alaska Sealife Center for care.
Stabilizing treatments are currently being administered by wildlife response and veterinary staff, and the pups will remain under close watch to further understand the severity of their conditions. More information will follow after further monitoring and examination.
The Alaska SeaLife Center’s Wildlife Response Program can only provide care for stranded and injured marine animals with help from corporate sponsors and individual donors. People are encouraged to contribute to the care of rehabilitating marine animals here: www.alaskasealife.org/donate. The Center acknowledges the ongoing generous support of the Wildlife Response Program from supporters like ConocoPhillips, Marathon Petroleum Corporation, PetZoo, Partners 4 Wildlife, Matson, GCI, and a number of individual donors, funds, and foundations such as Stanley J. Williams Fund, Mesara Family Foundation, and the NC Giving Fund.
Events
Event Calendar
Upcoming
Beers by the Bay returns on November 11! Spend an evening sampling local Alaskan beer and wine and enjoy a more...
The Alaska SeaLife Center Soiree will be February 3, 2024, at the Anchorage Museum. This fun two-hour cocktail more...
Wine by the Water, a popular mission-based event returns on April 27, 2024. Guests will enjoy a special tour more...
Science Spotlight
The period of maternal investment in Steller sea lions is the most energetically demanding, and is a critical period for adequate food intake in... Learn More
The PHOCAS—Physiology and Health of Cooperating Arctic Seals—program is a collaborative research effort between Long Marine Laboratory at the... Learn More
Overview:
This remote monitoring study is the longest ongoing research project at the Alaska SeaLife Center (ASLC). Since 1998, scientists at... Learn More
Harbor seal (Phoca vitalina) abundance in the Aleutian Island chain of Alaska has experienced a greater than 60% decline over the last twenty... Learn More
Overview
The limited knowledge that we have about walrus diet in Bristol Bay comes from Traditional Ecological Knowledge of local residents.... Learn More
What We Hope To Learn:
The two primary goals for this project are to 1) create baselines of current hydrocarbon exposure and 2) identify which... Learn More
What We Hope To Learn:
We will use ecological information to inform structured decision-making workshops that we will hold in the local... Learn More
What We Hope To Learn:
Seabirds may serve as indicators of ecosystem health because they are relatively easy to study and are responsive to... Learn More
What We Hope to Learn:
Recently advanced biochemical tracking methods involve the analysis of dietary biomarkers (i.e. fatty acid signature... Learn More
Overview
Pollution and climate change are affecting environments worldwide and methods are needed to monitor their impacts on coastal... Learn More
What We Hope To Learn:
An integrated monitoring program requires information on environmental drivers and pelagic and benthic components of the... Learn More
