Four Seals Released

SEAL RELEASE
On October 3rd, the Mystic Aquarium Animal Rescue released four harbor seal pups back to the Atlantic from the Charlestown Breachway. The pups arrived in little crates with the Aquarium’s team around 10:00 a.m. Each pup was rescued in either May or June off the coast of Maine and spent the summer being rehabilitated by the kind folks at the Mystic Aquarium.
The pups consisted of two males (Leo and Comet) and two females (Bellatrix and Phoenix). Each pup came with their own little story.
Leo was rescued from a dock off the coast of Breman, Maine. The Aquarium believes he was an abandoned at only 3-4 days old. He was only 19 lbs when he was found and upon his release, he weighed approximately 40 lbs.
Comet was rescued from Wells, Maine by the Marine Mammals of Maine on June 14, 2014 and transferred to the Mystic Aquarium two days later. He was determined to be about a week old at the time. While at the Aquarium, he received special care for an injured flipper and at four months old, he more than doubled his weight at the time of his release.
Also rescued by the Marine Mammals of Maine, were the two female seal pups: Bellatrix and Phoenix. Bellatrix, also doubled her weight during her stay at the Aquarium. When she was found, she was less than a week old, and weighed approximately 22 lbs. Upon her release, she weighed 47 lbs. Phoenix was found on Old Orchard Beach, Maine in June. At the time, she was about three weeks old. The Mystic Aquarium took Phoenix into their care the very next day. She received care for malnourishment and upon her release she weighed in at a healthy 44.9 lbs.
Around 10:30, the gates to the crates were opened and each pup began to make his or her way out to the ocean which stood about 30 feet in front of them. The crowd smiled as the seals eagerly flopped their way back to their home in the Atlantic Ocean. Everyone watched as the waves crashed on the shore. Occasionally, you would see one of the pups pop out of the water as if to say, “Hey! I did it!”
The Mystic Aquarium’s Animal Rescue Program has responded to over 1,500 calls to assist with the rescues of various animals from harbor seals, like the pups released on October 3rd, to whales, dolphins and even sea turtles. The program not only responds to rescues in Connecticut, but they also work with other states like Maine, Rhode Island, New Jersey and New York.