The Marine Mammal Stranding Center of Brigantine celebrated a “graduation day” to a Grey seal on Wednesday, March 18. The young pup was moved from her rehabilitation pen to their 30-foot exercise pool. This is the last step in the rehabilitation process, helping to build her muscles back up after a monthlong recovery, and bringing her closer to her return to the wild. She has been spending her time getting plenty of exercise as she explores her new indoor/outdoor enclosure.
Found on an Ocean City sand dune on Valentine’s Day, the seal was estimated to be 6 to 8 weeks old. She measured 37 inches in length and weighed 30 pounds — close to the average birth weight for grey seals. Grey seal pups typically nurse for only about two weeks before becoming fully independent. At weaning, they can weigh nearly three times their birth weight and rely on stored fat reserves while learning to hunt. Officials believe this pup may not have been successfully feeding on her own after weaning, losing significant weight during the 300-mile swim from pupping grounds in New England to New Jersey waters.
