Patient Update: May 4th

Patient Update: May 4th

SEALS

Charles “Charlie” – Charlie is our first harbor seal pup of the season! He was rescued in Ellisville, Plymouth on April 23rd and brought to us by our friends at New England Aquarium after confirming his mom had abandoned him. Charlie was born premature as you can tell by his fluffy, white coat called lanugo – which harbor seal pups usually shed in utero before they are born. He is stable but still critical and at just 2 feet and 13 pounds, he is very premature and maternally dependent so he is receiving round the clock care from staff and volunteers. He has also been getting brief swim time during the day so that he can build up his strength!

Saco, Pemigewasset “Pemi” & Mill “Millie” – Saco (left), Pemi (right) and Millie (back) have all been moved into one of our large tanks, DJF, together since they are all finally strong enough! They love swimming around and playing with their EED’s (Environmental Enrichment Devices). Saco and Pemi are approved for release and patiently awaiting their return to the ocean. Stay tuned for an official date to be set! In the mean time, they are still enjoying all the free food. Millie has finished her antibiotics and is almost done with her last round of antiparasite medications. Her shark bite wounds are closing up nicely and she no longer needs daily wound flushes. The large, salt water pool she is in (with water coming straight from the Cape Cod Canal) promotes continued healing of her wounds.

TURTLES

Gunst – Gunst is still doing great and waiting for a date to be set for his next surgery on his front flipper. This surgery will hopefully give him back full mobility that was lost due to the osteolytic lesions in his shoulder – which resulted from his cold stunning in 2015.

Etta – Etta continues eating well and is waiting for a date to be set for his CT scan at Tufts University. He has an osteolytic lesion in his left front flipper, similar to Gunst, and a CT scan will give us a better understanding of what’s going on inside of his flipper so that we can determine what the next step in his rehabilitation will be.

Bruiser – Bruiser also continues eating well and is also waiting for a date to be set so that he and Etta can get a CT scan at Tufts University. He is recovering from behavioral, physical and blood abnormalities and a CT scan can help the veterinarians gain a better understanding of what may be going on internally.

Posted by Michaela W.
Michaela is second semester intern who recently graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a degree in Marine Biology.