Progressive Charlestown: From the Mystic Aquarium

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Seeing success after Tori the harbor seal's surgery

Victoria, or Tori as she is better known at Mystic Aquarium, is on the mend after undergoing eye surgery to help relieve a long-standing illness.

Tori first arrived at Mystic Aquarium as a rescued seal at our Animal Rescue Clinic in 2012. She was suffering from several severe health issues including an injury which left her blind in her left eye. As a result of her health, it was ultimately determined that Tori would remain in our care for the rest of her life.

Since joining the other seals at the Aquarium, Tori's overall health has been good, but a few years ago she had developed ocular disease in her right eye. When medication didn't work, our vet staff decided surgery was the best option to help what remained of her sight.

Now, several months post-op, Tori is swimming and moving with ease and is learning new ways to communicate with her trainers.

Being able to provide Tori with a new lease on life - not once but twice - highlights just how dedicated our training and vet staff are to the animals in our care.

"This has given me a new outlook on training," said Lindsey Nelson, Senior Trainer of Cetaceans & Pinnipeds and Tori's lead trainer. "We rely a lot on the vision of our animals in order to communicate with them. However, with Tori's vision impairment, it has made me think outside the box to ensure that I am communicating with her in the best way possible. We have worked very hard on transferring many of Tori's visual signals for behaviors to verbal signals."

Being able to provide Tori with a new lease on life - not once but twice - highlights just how dedicated our training and vet staff are to the animals in our care.

Animal Spotlight: Jellies

What has no bones, no blood and no brain? You guessed it - jellies! This invertebrate has been around for millions of years and is extremely diverse in appearance, size, geographic location and even has different sting intensities depending on the species. We feed our jellies brine shrimp that is bred right at the Aquarium and enriched with different things to add nutrition to their diet. Check out our Feeding Frenzy video to discover more about jellies.

Enjoy your own Feeding Frenzy! During your next grocery shopping trip, keep these tips in mind:

When buying coffee, look for varieties with organic, Fair Trade, Bird Friendly or Rainforest Alliance certification seals - all of which represent farms that practice sustainable agriculture practices
Conserve resources and reduce waste by purchasing larger canned items over several smaller items - you may even save money in the process
Lower your exposure to pesticides by 90% when you choose certain organic fruits and vegetables in the produce section

Download our app!

Mystic Aquarium now has an app! Get directions, find events, navigate our campus, learn about encounters and more. Click here to download the app to your phone now.

Membership: Sea Change

Unlimited visits are great. Free 4-D is quite a perk. Clean oceans are life-giving. The benefits of a Mystic Aquarium membership are far-reaching. We seek change through conservation, education and research. You sea change with your membership. Click here to join now!

A special invite from one of our corporate sponsors

Head over to Foxwoods Resort Casino for their 2nd Annual Foxwoods On Tap Craft Beer Festival on Saturday, November 11 from 4 to 7pm. Enjoy live music from the winner of Foxwoods 2017 Battle of the Bands while sampling more than 150 craft beers from 10+ of America's best craft breweries. Become a high roller and purchase a VIP ticket and enjoy an additional hour of sampling starting at 3pm. Plus, receive a commemorative hat and food voucher! Click the link below for tickets and additional information.