Seal Sitters is elated to report that rehabbed seal pup Ruby, with her red flipper tag, has found a true friend at Jack Block Park. Almost every day now, she is seen resting on the Park’s inaccessible beach with another weaned pup, nicknamed Buddy. Volunteers first sighted them together on St. Patrick’s Day - and with each passing day, they seem to develop an even closer bond, often snoozing within a few inches of one another.

Ruby was taken from a Steilacoom beach to PAWS Wildlife Center when only a week old and had no contact with any other seals while in rehab for several months. Weak and dehydrated, she had been harassed by people on the beach and abandoned by her mother. She was released last October to a harbor seal haulout in that same area, but had not been sighted again until she appeared at a cove near Salty’s in late January.

Volunteers sighted Ruby numerous times over the next weeks on the Jack Block beaches, but never on the abandoned dock with the many other resting seals - she was always alone. That is, until Buddy befriended the 8-month-old pup. Ruby’s health had been taking a turn for the worse, with evidence of respiratory issues and volunteers were monitoring her health from the observation tower above the beach. However, Ruby seems to have rebounded and put on weight since they have been foraging and hauling out together. Buddy is usually on the alert as she sleeps, so she is able to get extended, stress-free rest. It has been a joy to watch this relationship develop as Ruby becomes more open to Buddy’s presence near her. Both volunteers and the public have had a rare opportunity to observe the heartwarming bonding of these two vulnerable weaners - and there truly is safety in numbers for seal pups.

Tags: Ruby, Buddy