The National Aquarium in Baltimore's Marine Animal Rescue Program released a rehabilitated gray seal into the Shinnecock Bay just off the coast of Long Island, New York on Monday, May 14. The seal was affixed with a satellite tag.
Cookie's Rehabilitation
The female pup was found stranded in Ocean City, Maryland on February 24 where she showed signs of severe emaciation, dehydration and lethargy, and had a large wound on her left, rear flipper of unknown origin. While in rehabilitation she was treated for a mild case of pneumonia and her wound was cleaned and monitored. She gained 30 pounds on a diet of herring and capelin and enjoyed daily enrichment sessions.
Aquarium volunteers named the seal "Cookies-and-Cream," because her lanugo coat (or pup fur) reminded them of the ice cream of the same name. Cookie outgrew her pup fur soon after her arrival at the Aquarium and became the dark, glossy gray that gives these seals the species its name.
Tagged and Released
Cookie was affixed with a satellite tag, provided by the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation, which will transmit information about where she goes. Like in other releases, the public can monitor Cookie's whereabouts on the Aquarium's web site. The satellite tag could track Cookie's movements for several months until the adhesive fails and the tag falls off.
Seals are regular visitors to the Mid-Atlantic coast. Beachgoers who suspect an animal has stranded are encouraged to call the Maryland Natural Resources Police Stranding Hotline at 1-800-628-9944 and to keep their distance both for safety and because it is required by law. The stranding network will alert the Aquarium and other rescue facilities.
The Aquarium's Marine Animal Rescue Program is part of the North East Stranding Network. The rescue program responds to an average of 30-35 strandings each year and has the capacity to care for numerous animals at once.
