Emmy Rosseal: A Quick Recovery

Emmy Rosseal, named after Emmy Rossum, arrived to the National Marine Life Center on July 18, 2017 after narrowly escaping from a shark attack. She was found along Ballston beach in Truro, Massachusetts after being rescued by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). Upon her arrival she was examined to asses her conditions and begin treating her large shark wound. She was determined to have lymphopia, or low white blood cells, as well as hyperglycemia, or abnormally high glucose levels, within her blood most likely due to stress. It was also determined that she had low venous O₂ which measures the amount of oxygen bound to the blood returning back to the heart. This can then indicate to staff how the body is removing oxygen and if it is being done at a faster rate than it should be. She came in weighing 12.9 kilograms and was 90 cm long. As seen in the image above of Emmy, the dark circles around her eyes are referred to as hydration rings which demonstrate that she can retain her own fluids.

Due to Emmy being a weanling rather than a new pup, extra precautions had to be made with her since she can be feisty. It is not uncommon for weanlings to be more aggressive upon their arrival considering they have spent time out in the ocean growing without human interaction rather than pups who arrive shortly after they have been born. While this makes restraining the seals more difficult we do not discourage this behavior ever. It is more important to remain aware of the situation and keep the seals reliant upon humans.

She has been recovering really fast within just a one month period! It is only a matter of time before she can finally be released back into the wild! Keep an eye out for notifications of her release!

Posted by Kelsey B.

Kelsey is a summer, 2017 intern at the National Marine Life Center. She has just graduated Salem State University, where she majored in Marine Biology.