Another seal returns to the wild from Blue Shutters Beach

Harbor Seal ‘MVP’ Made a Splash at Morning Release by Mystic Aquarium Animal Rescue Team

Stevi Bramich, Mystic Aquarium

Yesterday morning, New England’s MVP, or “Most Valuable Pinniped” (the zoological term which means ‘fin’ or ‘flipper-footed’ and refers to marine mammals including seals, sea lions and walruses) made his way to the ocean’s edge in Charlestown, RI. 

Edelman, a rescued harbor seal named for the 2019 Super Bowl ™ MVP Julian Edelman, was released by Mystic Aquarium’s Animal Rescue Team nearly a year after his rescue.

Edelman was rescued in Wells, ME, by Marine Mammals of Maine and was transferred to the Aquarium’s Animal Rescue Clinic in late May 2018.

Like many other rehabilitation cases, Edelman was considered to have been abandoned shortly after birth, arriving at the Aquarium as an approximately one week old pup. 

He required around-the-clock care for the first several weeks of his rehab which included formula feeds every three hours, weekly exams and daily cleaning of the umbilicus; all routine for abandoned pups. 

Edelman also required treatments for an ongoing ear infection, which contributed to his longer-than-usual stay in the Aquarium’s Animal Rescue Clinic.

Weighing over 60 pounds the morning of his release, Edelman was deemed healthy and prepared for life at sea.

Following the New England Patriot’s Super Bowl ™ LI win, Mystic Aquarium’s Animal Rescue Team has created a ‘winning tradition’ of naming one of its seals after a member of a champion New England team. 

In 2017, the Animal Rescue Team released a seal named Trey after Patriot’s DL Trey Flowers, who led the team’s defense and helped fuel an epic comeback in an overtime victory. 

Then in 2018, a young harbor seal was named Barnes after Boston Red Sox pitcher and that year’s World Series ™ champ, Matt Barnes.

On the heels of another Super Bowl ™ win, Mystic Aquarium named the young harbor seal for Patriot’s wide receiver and the Super Bowl ™ LIII MVP, Julian Edelman. 

While not quite the crowd of a duck boat parade, Edelman, the rescued harbor seal, was welcomed by a crowd of doting fans who cheered him on as he splashed into the Atlantic for the first time.