The Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Centre released a seal pup after 13 weeks of care Tuesday.
The pup, Shadow, was one of the first patients of the 2012 season after being rescued off Haida Gwaii on June 1. He was found lying on the rocks by Ryan Ashton, a dock manager at the Queen Charlotte lodge.
Ashton was able to hand-feed Shadow a special formula with instructions given by the Rescue Centre staff over the phone, and once the pup’s energy levels were restored, he was flown to Vancouver for rehabilitation.
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“When Shadow arrived at the Rescue Centre, he weighed only 5 kg, which is about half of the normal birth weight of a harbour seal,” explains Lindsaye Akhurst in the Rescue Centre’s press release. “He also had his lanugo fur, a dense white fur that is typically lost prior to birth, which indicates he was born prematurely.”
After 21 days of hand-feeding him a rich milk mixture, the Rescue Centre staff slowly introduced him to fish, and a month later, he was moved to a pool where he was taught how to find fish on his own.
“He gained 25 kg while at the Rescue Centre, and now weighs a healthy 30 kg,” says Akhurst.
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