The approximately two week old pup was admitted to the
Aquarium’s Animal Rescue Clinic on May 22 weighing approximately 18 pounds.
Abandoned shortly after birth, Barnes required around-the-clock care for the
first several weeks which included formula feeds every three hours, weekly
exams and a daily cleaning of the umbilicus.
A couple of weeks ago, Mystic Aquarium announced via social
media its ‘winning tradition’ of naming seals after New England champions
following the 2017 release of Trey, named for Super Bowl™ champ Trey Flowers of
the New England Patriots. Barnes was named after Connecticut native, former
UConn Husky and 2018 World Series™ champ Matt Barnes, pitcher for the Boston
Red Sox.
Following months of dedicated care from the staff, interns
and volunteers of the Animal Rescue Team, Barnes now weights over 53 pounds and
is prepared for life at sea.
