A young gray seal took an unexpected turn south this winter, visiting Hilton Head and Myrtle Beach and finally, St. Augustine, Florida.
A young gray seal took an unexpected turn south this winter, visiting Hilton Head and Myrtle Beach and finally, St. Augustine, Florida. Gray seals in the Western Atlantic generally live in coastal areas from Canada to the northeastern United States. But every year, we encounter out-of-habitat seals. This year, in addition to this southern explorer, seals have been spotted in Albany and Bermuda. Usually, visiting seals find their way back without intervention. But sometimes, as with this male weanling gray seal, they need our help.
Our young gray seal’s story begins in Virginia Beach on February 28. Early that morning, the seal was reported to the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center. After observing that the seal was lethargic and in a dangerous place, the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center, collected the seal and performed diagnostic tests and treated it with fluids and antibiotics. They tagged the seal and, with help from The Nature Conservancy, released it on Sunday, March 3 at a known haul-out site with other seals.
The seal next turned up in Myrtle Beach on Wednesday, March 13 around 11 am. Local law enforcement made sure the seal had space, and it spent the day resting before heading back to the ocean on the morning of March 14. On March 19, the seal turned up in Hilton Head, South Carolina, where it again spent time resting, protected by barriers set up by the Sea Turtle Patrol.
Continue reading at NOAA Fisheries.
Image via Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center.
