Sad news from Arroyo Beach
Aug/12/11 08:14 AM
(see update end of story) Seal Sitters is so sad to report that our first pup of the year, Tiny, died on Arroyo Beach yesterday afternoon. Tiny had rested there all day Wednesday, returning to the water briefly, only to haul out again on a timber in the water until after dark. Early in the morning, Tiny was reported gone. Our responder hiked and scoured a huge expanse of beach almost to Brace Point, as well as beaches to the south. However, Tiny was sleeping tucked in among some rocks at the sea wall, unseen. Later that afternoon, he was discovered by a homeowner who called the hotline. Tiny died trying to return to the Sound as our volunteers arrived on scene.
Yesterday morning Seal Sitters assisted in the necropsy by WDFW Marine Mammal Investigations of an adult female seal just north of Lowman Beach. The female was postpartum and WDFW’s biologist estimated that the seal had given birth approximately 10 or so days before. This would very closely match the estimated age of Tiny when he showed up at the north end of Lincoln Park, just a short distance away. While we cannot say with certainty that the female was indeed his mom, it seems quite likely. Our investigator was troubled that the pup was not gaining weight if indeed he was being nursed; however, his pattern of returning to the water, traveling a fair distance to Arroyo Beach south of the park, and the fact that an adult seal had been seen on the platform offshore all contributed to the possibility that he had a mom around. With limited resources for rehabilitation in our area (in addition to the low success rates of rehabbing a newborn pup) it is always best for a pup to remain in the wild with mom if at all possible. Such a small pup needs mom to teach foraging skills to survive in the wild; while rehabbers do an amazing job, those innate survival skills cannot be taught by humans tossing fish in a small pool. A pup always has his best chance of survival with mom’s tutelage on how to forage successfully for food, all the while nursing on her rich milk.
A necropsy will be performed on the pup and we will provide updates to cause of death for both seals as results become available. This is, by far, the hardest part of the work we do. This little seal brought great joy to our volunteers and neighbors who watched over him. Tiny’s short life enlightened many to the struggles that seal pups face and the urgent need to let them rest. We are terribly sad, but heartened to know that we will have many success stories over the next months.
NECROPSY RESULTS 8/15/11: Tiny, a male pup, weighed 10 kg (approx 22 lbs) and had a very thin blubber layer.
Yesterday morning Seal Sitters assisted in the necropsy by WDFW Marine Mammal Investigations of an adult female seal just north of Lowman Beach. The female was postpartum and WDFW’s biologist estimated that the seal had given birth approximately 10 or so days before. This would very closely match the estimated age of Tiny when he showed up at the north end of Lincoln Park, just a short distance away. While we cannot say with certainty that the female was indeed his mom, it seems quite likely. Our investigator was troubled that the pup was not gaining weight if indeed he was being nursed; however, his pattern of returning to the water, traveling a fair distance to Arroyo Beach south of the park, and the fact that an adult seal had been seen on the platform offshore all contributed to the possibility that he had a mom around. With limited resources for rehabilitation in our area (in addition to the low success rates of rehabbing a newborn pup) it is always best for a pup to remain in the wild with mom if at all possible. Such a small pup needs mom to teach foraging skills to survive in the wild; while rehabbers do an amazing job, those innate survival skills cannot be taught by humans tossing fish in a small pool. A pup always has his best chance of survival with mom’s tutelage on how to forage successfully for food, all the while nursing on her rich milk.
A necropsy will be performed on the pup and we will provide updates to cause of death for both seals as results become available. This is, by far, the hardest part of the work we do. This little seal brought great joy to our volunteers and neighbors who watched over him. Tiny’s short life enlightened many to the struggles that seal pups face and the urgent need to let them rest. We are terribly sad, but heartened to know that we will have many success stories over the next months.
NECROPSY RESULTS 8/15/11: Tiny, a male pup, weighed 10 kg (approx 22 lbs) and had a very thin blubber layer.
