SeaDoc Society has just released the findings of a study of 20 satellite tagged weaned harbor seal pups, half of whom were tagged in the wild and half after rehabilitation. The study shows that rehabbed pups travel greater distances than wild pups foraging for food. Read this fascinating story here.

West Seattle stranded seal pup Sandy was satellite tagged and released in late January this year after a lengthy rehab at PAWS. Hundreds of people logged onto SeaDoc’s site and followed her progress and travels around Puget Sound until she was found dead in April, entangled in derelict fishing gear. Her death put a face on the dangers of marine debris and pollution and a beach cleanup was held in her honor. Read about Sandy here.

Tags: rehabilitation, satellite tag, Sandy

(see update at end of story)
Yesterday, Seal Sitters’ volunteers met up with a volunteer from Vashon to transport an injured seal pup to PAWS in Lynnwood. Four NW marine mammal stranding networks had been on the lookout for the severely lacerated pup.

On Wednesday evening, our hotline received a report of a pup with a severe cut on a public beach in Des Moines near the marina. The reporting party, Pam, then had to leave the site briefly. Soon after, a team from WDFW Marine Mammal Investigations (Dyanna Lambourn and Josh Oliver) and MaST Stranding Network’s volunteer Mikiko, arrived on the scene, but the pup had vanished. This was quite a baffling mystery since the pup would have had to traverse a 60+ yard distance at low tide to get back to the water in a very short time. The team searched the vast beach in the darkness, but could see no sign of the pup. It is surmised that perhaps someone moved the pup back to the water.

At 6:30 am the next morning, Seal Sitters’ first responder scoured the shoreline as well as the docks at the marina, but again there was no sign of the pup. Late that afternoon, NOAA’s hotline received a call from Wolftown on Vashon (the marine mammal stranding network for the island) that an injured pup was seen on KVI beach. Photos were compared with one from Wednesday night and it was confirmed to be the same pup. It was encouraging that the pup was able to swim across Puget Sound with such an injury, possibly human-caused. Plans were set into motion to try to capture the pup for transport to rehab, but each time Wolftown received a call, the pup was gone when they arrived. Late Sunday afternoon, however, the pup was successfully captured and housed at Wolftown’s facility overnight.

Early Monday morning, Seal Sitters’ volunteers met the 7:55 ferry from Vashon and transferred the dark, spotted pup (nicknamed Freckles by Vashon’s volunteer Debby) to PAWS Wildlife Center (photo above). Seal Sitters received a followup call in the afternoon that Freckles was blind in one eye (most likely due to an old puncture wound) and had a number of lacerations, including the very severe one above the left flipper. Freckles will be x-rayed today and undergo a possible surgery. It could not be determined if the wound was human-caused. The male pup weighed in at 13.6 kg and a length of 81cm.

This is a prime example of how area stranding networks join together - this time to locate, rescue and provide care for a little seal pup. We will keep you posted on Freckles progress as he continues rehabilitation at PAWS.

10/17 4:17 PUPDATE
We are very, very sad to report that Freckles died yesterday. Thanks to everyone who tried so hard to help this beautiful pup.

Tags: Freckles, rehabilitation

Mojo, the Steller sea lion pup who was rescued on Washington’s outer coast, rehabbed at Wolf Hollow in the San Juans, and released back to the wild fitted with a satellite tracking device has made it all the way to the Alaska rookeries. A rookery is where sea lions (or seals) gather in large numbers to give birth, nurse their young and mate. Mojo has travelled 1484 km (over 922 miles) since his release on May 29th. Read all about Mojo here.

PUPDATE 7/23
Mojo continues to cruise northward along Alaska’s shoreline. As of yesterday, the satellite picked up his signal near Sitka. It looks like he is thriving in the wild. Soon, however, we will lose contact with him as he molts his fur and the glued-on tag falls off.

Tags: mojo, satellite tag, rehabilitation

Mojo, the Steller sea lion pup rehabilitated and released on the Washington Coast last month, has been sighted and photographed in a Steller haulout off the west coast of Vancouver Island. He was known to have migrated to Canada just a few days after being released because of the signals picked up from his satellite tag. This is the first time he has been seen, however.

A marine mammal biologist (who also volunteers with the British Columbia Marine Mammal Stranding Response Network) was doing routine re-sights of branded animals when she noticed Mojo with his satellite tag on a very busy and popular Steller haulout site, Long Beach Rocks. This is one of a number of haulouts in and adjacent to the Pacific Rim National Park. Long Beach is considered a year round haulout for Stellers. Biologist Wendy Szaniszlo conducted a 3-yr study of the seasonal abundance and distribution of sea lions in the park preserve. Stellers are considered a Species of Special Concern under Canada’s Species at Risk Act. Wendy reports that Mojo was observed in the “middle of the action”, which means he seems to have adapted well to life back in the wild.

You can follow Mojo’s travels on SeaDoc Society’s website and receive almost daily updates on his location. Since this photo was taken, he is on the move once again and headed further north, well beyond Vancouver Island into Queen Charlotte Sound. As you can see from the photo, this is the time of year when sea lions molt their fur. Soon, Mojo’s glued-on tag will fall off as he sheds his old coat and grows a brand new silky one and transmissions will cease. Many thanks to Wendy for sharing this photo! Read more about Mojo’s story here.

PUPDATE: 7/3/12
A satellite picked up a ping from Mojo’s transmitter yesterday and he has made it to Haida Gwaii (formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands), which consists of about 150 islands off the coast of British Columbia. More specifically, his location appears to be Gwaii Hanas National Park Reserve.

Mojo has travelled 962 km (over 598 miles) since released back to the wild on May 29th.

Tags: mojo, Steller sea lion, satellite tag, rehabilitation

The seal pup that Seal Sitters MMSN rescued from the beach in August is now cruising the San Juans. We know this because after a lengthy rehab at PAWS Wildlife Center, Sandy was fitted with a satellite tag and released at a harbor seal haul out south of Tacoma. She has been moving all over the region - Olympia, Shelton, Vashon Island, 3 Tree Point, West Seattle, Richmond Beach and now the northern islands. You can follow Sandy’s lengthy travels on SeaDoc Society’s dedicated webpage and receive email alerts when a satellite picks up her signal. Her movements enable biologists to learn more about seal pup behavior. The glued-on tag will fall off when Sandy sheds her fur coat in a few months.

PUPDATE 3/12
The latest satellite hits show that Sandy has opted to head back south and was pinged at the northeast tip of the Olympic Peninsula. This is a bit of a relief since we wonder if she is able to tell the difference between the vocalizations of the transient orcas who eat seals and that of the residents who prefer salmon. With no mom to have taught her the ins and outs of life in the wild, she is trying to figure things out on her on.

Tags: Sandy, satellite tag, rehabilitation

Seal Sitters MMSN is having our busiest “off season” ever. We have made upwards of 40 responses to dead and live pups since the beginning of the year. We are happy to say the vast majority of those are to live pups. Yesterday, the hotline received a call about a pup at Lincoln Park. Unfortunately, there was no pup on shore when our responder arrived within 20 minutes. The entire length of Lincoln Park was searched. According to the satellite map showing rehabbed and tagged pup Sandy’s travels, she was apparently near that location yesterday. This morning, WDFW’s biologist reports that Sandy is all the way up in the Richmond Beach area. The 6 month old female was fitted with a satellite tag (photo left to right: Josh Oliver WDFW, Kristin Wilkinson NOAA and Dyanna Lambourn WDFW) and released to a South Puget Sound location on January 21st following a long rehab at PAWS. Her travels provide insight into the foraging patterns of rehabilitated pups.

Yesterday we also responded to a pup resting on a stretch of private beach. The beautiful dark pup, nicknamed Paddycake (photo right), is the same one that was nearby a few days ago on private beach north of Constellation Park. On that day, Paddycake had been accompanied on the beach by a smaller pup who was scared back into the water by an offleash dog. Please, keep your dog leashed at all times if you insist on taking them (illegally) onto the beach. These weaned seal pups need their rest to survive and dogs pose a danger to them. We have pups still using beaches all over West Seattle.

Tags: Paddycake, Sandy, satellite tag, rehabilitation

Sandy, the seal pup rescued from a West Seattle beach last August and released back into the wild after a lengthy rehab on January 27th, is back in our area. She was fitted with a satellite transmitter (glued to her fur that will be shed when she molts) and her movements are being tracked by the SeaDoc Society. The most recent satellite transmissions indicate that Sandy has now travelled all the way from the Olympia and Steilacoom area (where she was released) to the north end of Vashon Island - and is, this morning, near the Port Orchard/Southorth ferry run. She may well end up back in West Seattle!

Keep your eyes peeled for a little seal pup with a yellow transmitter on her back. If you see her, please keep your distance and call our hotline @ 206-905-7325 (SEAL). Her movements are being studied by biologists and will give tremendous insight into the behavior of rehabilitated pups as they try to adapt to life back in the wild. SeaDoc has a web page devoted to Sandy here and you can receive email updates as to her locations and cheer her on. It is very exciting for volunteers and the public to be able to follow Sandy’s progress and see how well she is doing back in the Salish Sea.

Tags: Sandy, satellite tag, rehabilitation

Sandy, the rehabilitated satellite-tagged seal pup, is expanding her horizons in South Puget Sound. After being released near a harbor seal haul out a couple of weeks ago, she stayed pretty close to her new island home. But over the past two days, she has ventured much farther south - to Budd Bay near Olympia, where there is a huge log boom used by seals year-round to rest and, during pupping season, give birth and nurse their young. In fact, it’s such a distance that there was speculation she might have hitched a ride on a passing log boom being towed south by a tugboat. Seals do often hop on log booms as they cruise by, take a snooze and wake up many miles from where they started.

Sandy’s beacon tag gives location hits depending on the number of satellites in the area and whether Sandy is on land or underwater when a satellite is near. Based on the most recent data (more detailed than the map shown here), WDFW’s marine mammal biologist was able to determine that it was more likely that she swam to her new location. Dr. Joseph Gaydos from SeaDoc Society says, “We’ve seen other seals (satellite tagged pups) move even greater distances in shorter periods of time. They can ride the current, which as you know can be quite powerful in places. That combined with swimming can really propel them!” The great news is that Sandy is choosing areas that have lots of seals, so she appears to be adapting well to life in the wild.

You can follow Sandy’s travels on SeaDoc’s website. In fact, you can even get an email alert when passing satellites pick up her signal. Check out Sandy’s dedicated page here. And, if you happen across a log boom, grab your binocs and see if there is a seal or two catching some zzzz’s - maybe you’ll even see Sandy with her fancy yellow hat!

Tags: Sandy, satellite tag, rehabilitation, release

On August 14, 2011, Seal Sitters MMSN responded to a pup in West Seattle that was just a few weeks old and named her Sandy. The pup spent that night on the beach under observation. The next morning, the pup was extremely weak and barely responsive, with numerous infected wounds and no apparent mom. She was severely dehydrated and malnourished to the point of emaciation. Seal Sitters transferred her to PAWS Wildlife Rehabilitation Center for stabilization, treatment and care. On Friday, January 27, after five months of rehabilitation, she was released near a harbor seal haul out in South Puget Sound. Sandy will provide invaluable data to the network.

Every year harbor seal pups that strand and are rehabilitated are released back into the wild. Last year, 10 rehabilitated pups provided novel data on how these animals move post release as compared to wild seals. Sandy, an older rehabilitated weaned pup, will be the first of this age class to be tracked by satellite in Washington State. The video above shows her being fitted with a satellite transmitter and released back home to the Salish Sea.

Sandy’s movements will provide ground-breaking information for biologists. She can be tracked by the public as well on SeaDoc Society’s website, which has a web page dedicated to her, showing a map of her cruising around South Puget Sound. In the photo above, Sandy swims in the wild with her new satellite hat. Tracking this animal would not be possible without the collaboration of several network groups which include: Seal Sitters MMSN, PAWS Wildlife Center, WDFW Marine Mammal Investigations, SeaDoc Society and NOAA’s Protected Resources Division.

PUPDATE: Feb 2/2012
We have had some folks with concerns that the satellite tag is somehow harmful for Sandy. The tag is applied with glue to Sandy’s pelt and will fall off when she sheds her fur during molting season in a few months. Most likely, the tag will fall off before then; however, in the interim, the satellite tracking will provide researchers with insights into foraging patterns, distances travelled by weaned pups and health and mortality data. This research will help other seal pups in the future.

Tags: Sandy, rehabilitation, release, satellite tag

Pupdate: The weeks old pup rescued by Seal Sitters from a West Seattle cove on August 15th has finally finished rehabilitation and is ready for release back to the wild. Sandy was terribly thin (photo) and spent the night on the beach. She was taken to PAWS early the following morning. The photo shows her haul out path and the distinct tracks made by seals when they come ashore. Unable to rotate their rear flippers for locomotion on land like sea lions, harbor seals use only their front flippers and crawl in an undulating motion much like a caterpillar. While awkward and vulnerable on shore, seals are fast and acrobatic swimmers with their sleek, torpedo-shaped bodies.

Sandy will be fitted with a satellite tag. This will provide valuable information to biologists and the hope is that the public will be able to track her movements via the internet as well. Her release had been planned for tomorrow, however, due to snow and ice conditions, it will be rescheduled. Please check back for photos of her release to a South Puget Sound haul out site and information about potential website monitoring. It would be a thrill to be able to follow Sandy’s progress back home in the sea.

Tags: Sandy, rehabilitation

The seal pup nicknamed Sandy is fattening up at PAWS Wildlife Center in Lynnwood, the only local resource for rehabbing a small number of seal pups each season. The terribly thin pup weighed only 7.7 kgs, or slightly less than 17 lbs, when taken to PAWS on August 15th after spending the night on a West Seattle beach. A healthy pup her age should have weighed about 23 kgs (approx 50 lbs). As of September 24th, Sandy had doubled her weight in rehab to 36 lbs and she is reported to be great at catching live fish! She is due to be released in a few weeks. In the photo, Sandy shows off her new beachball body with a pal in the rehab pool. She will be released when her weight reaches 50 lbs, a sufficient blubber layer to sustain her as she makes the transition back into the wild. Thank you PAWS!

Tags: Sandy, rehabilitation

Sandy, the thin and dehydrated seal pup taken to PAWS in Lynnwood early Monday morning, is doing well. PAWS’ wildlife director reports that she is beginning a diet of solid fish and the cuts and abscesses on her rear flippers are being treated. Rehab of such a young pup is a tenuous road with many ups and downs over the course of months. It is encouraging that Sandy is holding her own and we hope in 10 weeks she will be released back into the Sound - a fat and happy little blubberball.

Sandy is shown here in the light of early evening on the pebbled beach north of the Water Taxi landing. A seal’s fur looks very different when wet or dry (see dry photo in story below), often making identification difficult. For this reason we try to get detailed photos of spots and markings which enables us to track an animal if there are health concerns. In Sandy’s case, she had very defined markings on her left foreflipper and around the eyes, so we were easily able to identify her when she hauled out on a different beach.

PUPDATE 8/22/11 PAWS reports that Sandy is still doing well and taking whole fish.

Tags: Sandy, rehabilitation

Each year, seal pups are taken for rehabilitation to PAWS in Lynnwood and Wolf Hollow on San Juan Island, the two excellent, but limited resources for our region. Pups are removed from the wild due to human interference, endangerment or compromised health. In a Seattle Times article by Lynda Mapes published yesterday, a study being conducted by SeaDoc Society shows that rehabbed seal pups behave quite differently than those who have lived solely in the wild, in particular their foraging patterns - evidence that a pup should always remain with his mom whenever possible to learn the skills to survive. The decision to remove a seal pup from the beach is one that is weighed heavily by stranding experts. Read the article here.

Many thanks to Lynda for keeping seal pups in the forefront of the news and for giving Seal Sitters a nice mention. Lynda has been a great ally of our network over the past few years.

Tags: rehabilitation

After over 10 weeks in rehab at PAWS in Lynnwood, our Lincoln Park seal pup Storm has finally been returned to her home in the Salish Sea. Yesterday afternoon, after being given a final examination by veterinarian Dr. John Huckabee, she was loaded into a kennel, sporting a new red identification tag (#803), and transported by truck to an Everett boat launch. Then, in the rain and cold, a team which included PAWS, NOAA, Everett Parks and our SS first responder escorted Storm by boat to her release destination off Jetty Island. Storm became quite animated in her kennel as the salt air and water whipped over the open boat. The excitement and anticipation was evident, too, in the faces of the team. We all silently wondered how she would react to this huge expanse of water after being alone in a small pool for months. Would she be able to fish successfully in the wild? Would she be able to assimilate into the local seal colony? Would she be safe on her own? Worries were soon vanquished by the joy of seeing the kennel gate swing open and Storm plunge into the frigid gray water. She lingered for a bit, looking so small and fragile in the vast waters, and then swam around the tip of the island, out of sight.

When Seal Sitters rescued Storm from the beach on Labor Day, September 6th, she was estimated to be only a few weeks old, weighed a mere 17.7 lbs and was a length of 33 inches. Yesterday when released, she weighed 62 lbs and was 37 inches - only 4 inches longer, but about 45 lbs heavier! Storm is truly a beautiful blubberball who has been given a second chance at life. To have been a part of saving her life and helping Storm return home cannot be put into words.

To read all posts about Storm, please click on the tag below.

Tags: storm, rehabilitation

Our Lincoln Park emaciated seal pup, Storm, who was rescued from the beach on Labor Day and taken to PAWS for treatment, is ready for release back into the wild. After a long rehab where she was able to build up strength and pack on some serious pounds, she will finally be able to go home to Puget Sound on Tuesday. Our first responder is thrilled to be able to accompany Storm on this full-circle journey.

We thank PAWS for their monumental effort to restore her back to health. Our little bag-o-bones pup is now a true blubberball.

Tags: storm, rehabilitation

Storm is one fat and happy blubberball at PAWS. It is shocking to compare the photos of Storm on the beach at Lincoln Park to her rotund self these days. The above photo at left was taken on September 5th and Seal Sitters rescued her the next morning. For two full weeks or more at PAWS, it was uncertain if she would survive. Thanks to Kevin, PAWS’ naturalist, for sending a recent photo of her in the big pool. She is scheduled for release sometime soon and we will keep you posted with updates.

Tags: storm, rehabilitation

Storm is thriving in rehab at PAWS, but it is an extremely costly endeavor to rehab a seal pup - a very labor and food intensive process. We recently were able to get some video footage of Storm swimming in her big pool and being fed a tasty lunch of capelin. It is estimated that Storm’s diet runs about $350 per month. Most seal pups like herring, but Storm has an appetite for capelin, of which she consumes about 11 pounds a day! Storm will continue to grow stronger at PAWS for at least another 4-6 weeks - until she has put on a sufficient blubber store to help her survive upon release back into the wild.

Please make a donation to PAWS (designate “in honor of an animal” - West Seattle seal pup Storm) today and help pay for Storm’s gourmet meals. PAWS relies solely on donations from the public to continue their work. It is estimated that the rehab of one seal pup is approximately $10,000. If you donate, please email us and we’ll let PAWS know our readers made donations. You can also mail a check to: PAWS Wildlife Center, PO Box 1037, Lynnwood, WA 98046 (please indicate on the check that it is to go to the Wildlife Center, seal rehab).

PAWS goes the extra mile to make sure that seal pups are not given too much human exposure while in rehab so that they are not habituated to people upon release. Storm was not allowed to see us and our camera was hoisted over the top of her pool. It was very exciting to see how fat and vibrant she has become.

Tags: storm, rehabilitation

Seal pup, Storm, who was rescued from a Lincoln Park beach on Labor Day, is flourishingt at PAWS. She is now chasing and catching live fish in her large pool. So, the prognosis for a successful rehab and release is very good. Thanks to the dedicated staff at PAWS!

Tags: storm, rehabilitation

Seal Sitters learned this morning that Sparky (the female pup we helped rescue from a Ballard beach) died overnight at PAWS. Sparky had been struggling to survive. Please check back tomorrow for more details along with an update on the West Seattle pup, Storm (taken to PAWS on Labor Day). As of late last week, Storm was being fed solid food and had good body weight, but some health complications.

Tags: rehabilitation

Storm and Sparky are still struggling a bit at PAWS, but rehabbers are still guardedly optimistic about their chances. They are now in a large pool together (shown here resting on their “island”, Storm on the left and Sparky at right). Each pup has her own health issues and they both have battled diarrhea in an attempt to adjust to their new food source.

Storm has good body weight and is still feisty and alert. However, her blood numbers were quite high in some areas. An ultrasound was performed on her yesterday and it revealed that she has an inflamed gall bladder and possibly appendicitis or pancreatitis. The pup that was illegally removed from the outer coast beach, taken to a hotel and then eventually to PAWS also had an inflamed gall bladder. That pup was treated and successfully rehabbed and released this month. Rehabbers do not know what is the cause of the inflammation. Storm has been put on a series of medications to treat her ailments. She has gone from being tube fed a “herring/salmon shake” to solid food consisting of dead herring. Pups have to be force fed the herring until they eventually will chase and eat live fish that is put into their pool. It can be a tedious and lengthy process to get them oriented to feeding themselves.

Sparky has good blood levels, but just can’t seem to put on weight so there is some major concern there. She is still suffering from chronic diarrhea and remains on a fish-shake diet.

Tags: rehabilitation

Storm (West Seattle pup) and Sparky (Ballard pup) have each been moved to the outside pools at PAWS. The rehab staff there is “cautiously optimistic” about their chances. There is a bit of concern that the pups are not gaining weight, so they were being tube fed today. However, they are both alert and “feisty” and Storm is reportedly one bitey little girl. Once the pups have completed their quarantine they will be put in the same pool - let’s hope they will soon be doing the backstroke together!

Tags: storm, sparky, rehabilitation

We received a “pupdate” on Storm, our little pup that was taken to PAWS yesterday afternoon. According to PAWS, Storm is a feisty female - just like the team of women she is named after! She gained quite a bit of weight overnight, but most of that is from being hydrated with fluids and she now weighs 18.7 lbs. Additionally, Storm has quite a few wounds on her, but the good news is none are infected. The most serious wound is a pretty severe one to her right rear flipper. She is being given a round of antibiotics and nutritional support. She is not out of danger, but Seal Sitters volunteers are greatly encouraged.

If Storm doesn’t show signs of the highly contagious disease Brucella, she will be able join the female pup, Sparky, that Seal Sitters helped rescue on Saturday morning. The two pups will go through their rehab together. Many, many thanks to PAWS as always for their incredible work! Please make a donation to PAWS designated to defray the extreme costs of rehabbing seals. Stay tuned for more pupdates on these two gorgeous pups.

Pupdate
9/8/10 7:35
Both Storm and Sparky are alert and feisty this morning, but are battling a bit of diarrhea. Rehabilitators are giving them subcutaneous fluids to keep them hydrated while they adjust to their new food.

Tags: storm, sparky, rehabilitation

Seal Sitters teamed up with volunteers from the Sno-King Marine Mammal Stranding Network to remove the Golden Gardens seal pup from the beach. The pup had been monitored on the Ballard beach since Thursday and was driven to PAWS for evaluation. After an initial evaluation, PAWS reports that the pup is a weaned female, very emaciated and dehydrated. Seals obtain their water intake from the food they eat and do not drink water. The pup, nicknamed Sparky, also has a number of infected lesions on her underside and flippers as well as an umbilicus infection. She is being stabilized, hydrated and treated for her infections. Seal Sitters will provide updates on the health of Sparky.

This morning Seal Sitters received a report that a group of people had been seen kicking sand on this pup around 8pm last night. If you see a marine mammal being harrassed or injured it is a matter for law enforcement. Call the NOAA Enforcement Hotline @ 1-800-853-1964 (monitored 24 hrs a day) and tell them an animal is being harmed. If the animal or the public is in imminent danger, CALL 911. NOAA Enforcement is not an immediate response team, as there are limited officers in the Pacific Northwest. However, the line is answered 24 hours a day and a harassment should be reported to them immediately. They are an investigative unit and will fine and prosecute violators of the Marine Mammal Protection Act with the proper evidence: violator’s name, photo, or auto license plate number. Do not put yourself at risk to obtain this information. If you need a law enforcement presence because the public or animal is in imminent danger, call 911.

Update 9/5/10. Sparky is doing fine at PAWS today, so keep her in your thoughts.
Update 9/6/10. PAWS has provided photos of Sparky who continues to improve.

Tags: sparky, rehabilitation