By Will Collette
Mystic Aquarium's great Marine Animal Rescue program will be releasing a four-month old harbor seal at Blue Shutters tomorrow morning at 9:30 AM.
The seal pup named Ares was found abandoned last July near the beach in Wells, Maine. In addition to being too young to survive unaided, he also had some minor wounds.
The Aquarium fixed him up, healed his wounds and nurtured him until now, when he is ready to be returned to his natural habitat.
Mystic operates a 24/7 rescue program and asks you do to the following if you encounter a stranded marine animal:
Call the Aquarium's 24-hour Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Stranding Hotline at 860.572.5955 ext.107. Leave your name, a phone number where you can be reached and the location of the animal.
- Do not touch the animal. All marine mammals are protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act. This law makes it illegal to touch, disturb, feed or otherwise harass marine mammals without authorization.
- A beached whale, dolphin or porpoise should be reported immediately and left alone pending further instruction.
- Give the animal plenty of space. Crowding stresses the animal and may cause it to act aggressively.
- Keep pets away from the stranded animal. Not only can they bite and cause injury to the stranded animal, but they may be injured by it. Diseases can also be transmitted between stranded animals and pets.
- Do not pour water on a seal, feed it, cover it or attempt to move it into the water. It is normal for seals to come ashore to rest.
- Be observant. Take note of any obvious signs of injury, the overall body condition of the animal (is it robust or thin?), identification tags, the presence of other animals (especially important with dolphins), the sea state and recognizable landmarks that will make it possible to locate the animal.