A newborn female harbour seal pup was rescued Monday, June 18 from the beach at Boundary Bay in Tsawwassen.
Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Centre/Facebook
Several local residents who spotted the stranded seal pup called the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Centre, who arrived on scene about an hour later and took the seal into their care.
The rescue, rehab, and release team from the Aquarium have dubbed her Rosaline, and she just happens their first female patient of 2018, says Lindsaye Akhurst, Manager of the MMRC.
Rosaline is estimated to be about two or three days old, and was noticeably thin. The area residents who spotted her on the shore also reported to the MMRC that the seal pup was being circled by eagles overhead, and she was quite vocal and trying to follow the people watching her on the beach.
Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Centre/Facebook
Akhurst says that quite often a mother seal will leave her pup on the shore while she forages in the waters, and they often become separated when the tide goes out. But with tidal pattern changes in Boundary Bay, the mother and baby were not able to be reunited. The MMRC estimates the pup was stranded for about a day, and in the hot weather, had become dehydrated.
Now that Rosaline is in their care, the MMRC have begun to tube feed the pup five times daily. Her feedings will increase as she gains weight, and ultimately she will be transitioned to an all-fish diet, as well as introduced into the pools. In a case like this, says Akhurst, if all goes well with Rosaline, she will be reintroduced to open waters at one of the MMRC's release sites in about two months.
Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Centre/Facebook
Since Harbour seals are solitary creatures, Rosaline would have been weaned and left to live on her own at about three to four weeks, had she remained in the care of her mother. What takes the mom about a month takes the MMRC about twice as long, Akhurst tells V.I.A., but it's not likely Rosaline would have survived at all had they not brought her in.
Last year, the MMRC rescued over 200 harbour seal pups.
If you see a marine mammal that may be in distress, you can call the Marine Mammal Rescue at 604-258-SEAL.
