Seal Sitters has received a “pupdate” from PAWS Wildlife staff about the two West Seattle harbor seal pups recently transported to the Lynnwood facility for treatment.

We’re elated to report that female seal pup Hope (shown at left, before capture near the Water Taxi landing) is gaining weight and doing pretty well overall.

Hope’s body was riddled with over 20 bite wounds, from an unidentified animal. Barring any unforeseen health issues, she may be released back to the wild waters of Puget Sound in a couple of weeks. That is great news about her new lease on life!

On a very sad note, Wild Thing, the thin male pup rescued by Seal Sitters first responders near Lincoln Park’s Colman Pool on January 21st, took a turn for the worse and died ten days later. In addition to two infected “animal bites” on the chest, Wild Thing’s “guardedly cautious” chance for recovery was compromised by a number of issues. WDFW Marine Mammal Investigations Unit will be performing a necropsy and we will update you with their findings.

NECROPSY FINDINGS
A necropsy by WDFW Marine Mammal Investigations revealed that Wild Thing most likely died from a systemic bacterial infection from a chest wound. Additionally, the pup had a drastically thin blubber layer.

Tags: Hope, Wild Thing, rehabilitation

For the second time in about a week, Seal Sitters MMSN rescued an injured harbor seal pup from a West Seattle beach.

The pup captured this afternoon is the same pup that has been using the shoreline near Lincoln Park’s Colman pool the past couple of days. The pup was first sighted on the pebbled beach early Thursday morning (see post below) and again late yesterday afternoon, just before dark. Both times, the pup returned to the water after resting briefly onshore.

Early this morning, the hotline received a call about a pup hauled out a few yards from Seal Sitters’ permanent signage, posted just north of the public pool. When First Responder Robin arrived, concerned residents, including the reporting party, were standing guard over the alert pup, in the driftwood just feet from the paved pathway. The three women enthusiastically helped stretch tape and signage to provide a safety zone, closing it off to entry and disturbance.

Volunteer scheduler Lynn scrambled to line up volunteers. So many were attending the Women’s March in downtown Seattle today that the online calendar was bare. First Responder Dana came down to lend a hand. Before long, volunteers Jennifer, Elissa, and Buzz arrived to pass out small info handouts and inform passersby that resting out of the water is normal behavior for all seals. Kids were given seal stickers that were promptly stuck on bike helmets and jackets.

Photos taken with a telephoto lens revealed a severely infected wound on the throat of the pup. The images were sent for review to a consulting vet and plans were subsequently put into place to capture the pup and transport for treatment.

First Responder Lynn arrived with capture supplies. Because the pup was positioned so close to the water’s edge and was becoming increasingly alert as time passed, after resting for about 7 hours, the capture was challenging. Volunteers Richard and Brian explained to onlookers the reason for intervening and helped keep the sidewalk area free of a crowd.

The feisty, wriggly pup snapped wildly at Robin and Lynn as they secured him in a net and transferred into a kennel for the drive to PAWS Wildlife Center in Lynnwood. Many a rehabber and responder have been bitten by seals. “Seal finger” is a zoonotic disease that will not heal unless the proper antibiotic is administered quickly.

Seals are wild animals and should be treated respectfully - and carefully - as such. Seals and other marine mammals can transmit a number of serious diseases to humans and dogs. Only members of NOAA’s Marine Mammal Stranding Network are authorized to handle, examine and transport seals.

Seal Sitters will keep you informed as we receive information on the health of this pup, dubbed Wild Thing, after the very spirited capture.

On an encouraging note, seal pup Hope who was rescued last week is doing great at PAWS. She suffered over 20 puncture wounds, most likely inflicted by a dog(s).

PUPDATE 1/22/17
We were able to secure some initial health info from PAWS about the rescued seal pup. Wild Thing, a thin male, thankfully made it through the night, but has a number of concerning issues which are being treated, including infected puncture wounds. We hope to receive a further update tomorrow.

Tags: Wild Thing, rehabilitation