Patient Update: August 18th, 2019

Aug 18, 2019 Bella

Weanling season is here! Weanling seals no longer need their mom and are venturing out on their own! Remember, it is illegal to be within 150 ft of any marine mammal in accordance with the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). If you feel like they’re sick/injured/need help, call your local stranding hotline:

    • IFAW: 508-743-9548; Cape Cod up to Plymouth
    • Marine Mammal Alliance: 833-667-6626; Nantucket
    • New England Aquarium: 617-973-5247; Plymouth up to Gloucester
    • Seacoast Science Center:  603-436-8043; Gloucester through New Hampshire
    • Marine Mammals of Maine: 1-800-532-9551; Maine south of Rockland
    • Allied Whale: 1-800-532-9551; Maine north of Rockland

 

Lily Potter, a female harbor seal pup, stranded in Milbridge, ME on 6/5 and was rescued by College of the Atlantic (COA) after being observed looking thin and dehydrated with a partial lanugo coat. 

Lily has moved into the big pool! She is eating fish all by herself and enjoys being able to dive and swim around in her new temporary home. In the photo below she is playing with one of our environmental enrichment devices (EED) that we place in the pool to encourage her curiosity, provide mental stimuli and opportunities to improve swimming skills as well as building stamina and strength. Now all Lily needs to do is gain weight and she will be back in the ocean in no time!

Lily enjoying her EED in DJF

BEHIND THE NAME Lily Potter was a muggle-born wizard and the late mother of Harry Potter.

 

Fleur Delacour, a female harbor seal pup, stranded on Philbrick’s beach in Rye, NH on 6/27. She was rescued and transported to us by our friends at the Seacoast Science Center all within the same day. Fleur was admitted to us with emaciated body condition, puncture wounds on her rear flippers, and her right eye missing, a potential result of PHV-1. 

Fleur has been moved to the big pool and has made a new friend! She is enjoying the pool with her roommate Bellatrix, and they are encouraging each other to be more competitive eaters during feeding time. Once they reach about 25 kg or 50 lbs, they will be released into local waters. Fleur currently weighs 14.8 kg and is packing on the weight fast.

Fleur floating in ST2

BEHIND THE NAME Fleur Delacour attended Beauxbatons Academy of Magic and was their participant in the Triwizard Tournament. She is also married to Bill Weasley, Ron Weasley’s older brother.

 

Bellatrix Lestrange, a female harbor seal weanling, was rescued by Seacoast Science Center on 7/6. She was found on Salisbury Beach, in Salisbury, MA, looking both emaciated and lethargic, and is a suspected human interaction case – for the full story check out SSC’s Facebook . Upon admit to NMLC the same day, Bellatrix was found to be bleeding from the mouth, as she still had her deciduous teeth, or baby teeth, while her adult teeth were growing in. After blood and stool samples were collected, it was evident that she was infected with tapeworms, roundworms, and flukes, a good indicator that she was already eating fish in the wild. 

Now that Bellatrix is parasite free she has been moved into a big pool with Fleur! She is becoming a great competitor when it comes to eating fish and is well on her way towards being released! She currently weighs 14.3 kg and is enjoying the new company.

Bella swimming in ST2

BEHIND THE NAME Bellatrix Lestrange was a pure-blood dark wizard who went on to become a Death Eater. Bellatrix was extremely loyal to Lord Voldemort.

 

Interested in joining our team?

Internship Opportunities:

We offer both a Marine Animal Rehabilitation & Education internship and a marketing internship. Applications for our spring semester are due by 11/1/19. Our spring semester is our longest, but offers a wider range of hands on experience as it overlaps with our cold-stunning season! Click here for more information.

Volunteer Opportunities:

We offer a wide range of volunteer positions in various departments. This includes but is not limited to: animal care team (18+), junior animal care (14+), administration, and fundraising.

To find out more please click here.

Posted by Shannon Brown and Erin McDowell

Shannon is a summer intern and a junior at the University of Maine with a Marine Science major.

Erin is a summer intern and a senior at UMass Amherst with a Biology major.