Inside look at Vancouver's rescue facility that welcomed 72 new seals (PHOTOS/VIDEO)
If you thought cinnamon roll, pumpkin pie, Timbits, and banana split are just your regular desserts, you’d be wrong.
They are Vancouver’s baby seals that are currently waiting to rejoin their natural habitat.
On Thursday, Daily Hive got an inside look at the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Centre, which rescued 90 seals recently. More than 70 will be in their care for a little less than two months.
Sea pup curiously observes new humans | Daily Hive
The center’s oldest seals, Timbit and Oreo, will be among the pups released into the wild starting next week.
“Next week, we have lots of exciting things to look forward to because we will be releasing our first harbour seal pups of the season,” Emily Johnson, the center’s assistant manager, tells Daily Hive.
Sea pup “Sticky Tube” swims around in his tub pic.twitter.com/fUjHNoYVZP
— Ayilya Thampuran (@ayilyajourno) August 19, 2022
Pups are brought into the center weighing an average of six to eight kilograms and need to be at least 22 kilos at the end of their rehabilitation. This can take six to eight weeks.
Seals are given a tote, a tub, and an ID number. The rescue team rightfully names pups after delicious desserts and names of different seaweed species.
A variety of rehabilitation pools and tubs, a quarantine facility, a hospital, and offices are on site.
Seal quarantine zone | Daily Hive
Hospital at Marine Mammal Rescue Center | Daily Hive
Outdoor pools at Marine Mammal Rescue Center | Daily Hive
The quarantine area is set up so that the newer seals, needing more medical attention and overall care, are placed on the far right side. This is where they are given supplemental sunlight for heat.
@MarMamRescue rescued 72 sea pups in Vancouver and brought them to this facility for rehabilitation. They’ll be released into the wild after a few weeks when they’re strong enough. pic.twitter.com/VsOYTOBhkg
— Ayilya Thampuran (@ayilyajourno) August 19, 2022
Newer pups aren’t interested in fish as soon as they come in. In fact, they want nothing to do with them. Check out this video of pup Giant Kelp refusing to eat.
Sea pup “Giant Kelp” refuses to eat fish at the @MarMamRescue in Vancouver. The team helps the pup develop an appetite for fish. pic.twitter.com/7EXv3gKtNd
— Ayilya Thampuran (@ayilyajourno) August 19, 2022
Sometimes it takes the extra effort to show seal pups that “fish is food.” pic.twitter.com/jLrYrymhSL
— Ayilya Thampuran (@ayilyajourno) August 19, 2022
So when seals first arrive at the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Centre, they are put on a milk matrix solution diet, which has a high content of nutrients.
Baby pups enjoy more than they need to with five meals a day, four swim sessions, and a relaxing shower from the staff.
Staff clean the seal tubs | Daily Hive
Sea pup “Pumpkin Pie” pic.twitter.com/qAWAjsflgH
— Ayilya Thampuran (@ayilyajourno) August 19, 2022
Banana split is the youngest in the facility. In the photo, you can see her holding her flippers tightly against her body. Young seals need to preserve heat, and this technique helps them keep warm.
Banana Split | Daily Hive
As they progress in shape, health, and a snarky attitude, they are moved to the left side of the quarantine facility, where they are encouraged to eat fish.
Sea pup eats a harren fish | Daily Hive
Once they’re ready to leave their tubs, they enter the outdoor pools where they can meet other harbour sealpups. This brings them another step closer to being released into the wild.
Seal pups swim in outdoor pools | Daily Hive
Nutter Butter likes his own space | Daily Hive
The center is most busy during the pupping season at the end of June, when the pups rest on beaches for their mothers to come ashore to nurse them.
“If people do see seal pups on the beach and they’re by themselves, that’s not an unusual situation. They should definitely call the center, and we can start a case file on that animal and start monitoring it,” said Emily.
The rescue team first makes sure the pup doesn’t have a mum, as pups rarely survive maternal separation in the first 30 days of birth.
The Marine Mammal Rescue Centre is Canada’s only facility dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation of exclusively marine mammals.
Marine Mammal Rescue team/Daily Hive
It coordinates with the Vancouver Aquarium to rescue nearly 150 sea animals a year, the majority being harbour seals.
For the next few weeks, the rescue team will be releasing seals back to the sea.
You can find more information about the Marine Mammal Rescue Centre and their work here.
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