Patient Update: October 16th, 2020 – National Marine Life Center

Yesterday, October 15th, we released our last 3 harbor seals, marking the end of harbor seal season here at NMLC! Derby, Marblehead, and Montauk were released together at Scusset Beach after completing their rehabilitation.

Derby was rescued on June 30th with multiple bite marks on his head and wounds all along his body down to his hind flippers. Derby did not let his wounds keep him down and he healed quickly. Derby has an energetic personality and has gained 20kg (45lbs) since his arrival and now weighs 28kg (61lbs)!

Marble arrived at NMLC on July 14th after she became unresponsive on the beach. When Marble came to NMLC, she was a weanling. This means she was no longer maternally dependent and was likely eating fish on her own before her arrival. As a result, she never needed staff assistance when eating fish and went straight from being tube-fed to mass feeding all on her own! Marble now weighs 30kg (66lbs)!

Montauk was first admitted on May 27th after maternal separation due to human interaction. He successfully completed rehabilitation and was released on September 2nd. However, Montauk was a victim of human interaction yet again and was rescued for a second time on September 12th. He was harassed by multiple people, leaving him stressed, exhausted, and injured, and was unable to return to the water. As Montauk and the rest of our harbor seals return to the ocean, we remind you again to please stay at least 150ft away from any wild seal both for your safety and theirs!

Now that we have released all of our seal patients, we are preparing for the rapidly approaching sea turtle season! NMLC is taking on our second year of sea turtle triaging and there is no way to know just how many cold-stunned turtles will need rehabilitation this winter!

Posted by Meaghan K.

Meaghan is a fall intern who is majoring in Marine and Freshwater Biology at Colgate University.