Stranded seal gets new home in Virginia Beach
Injured one-year-old was found Valentine's Day on Deal Beach
The young male harbor seal found on the Deal beach back on Valentine’s Day will get a chance to live out its life in Virginia Beach, Va.
The one-year-old seal was found with lacerations on its neck and puncture wounds on its back, according to Bob Schoelkopf of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center [MMSC] in Brigantine.
“The seal’s injuries have resulted in it having partial paralysis of its rear flipper, making it nearly impossible to survive back in the wild,” Schoelkopf said in a news release. “It would be impossible for the seal to hunt for food with such an injury and would need to be cared for in a controlled environment.”
After months of treatment at care MMSC worked with The National Marine Fisheries Service to find the seal a new home. On Wednesday, the seal will transported to Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center. He joins the aquarium’s four other male harbor seals, named Peter, Piper, Norton and Hector.
The Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and the Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums.
The non-profit MMSC is New Jersey’s only facility dedicated to the rescue of sick and injured marine mammals and sea turtles. Since 1978, volunteers have responded to more than 4,500 rescue calls for whales, dolphins, seals and sea turtles. The animals range from a five pound Kemps Ridley Sea Turtle to a 25-ton Humpback Whale, both of which are endangered species.
For more information about MMSC’s work, visit its website.
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