Joint rescue effort
Guadalupe Fur Seals live in Mexican waters at Guadalupe Island, or off the coast of nearby Baja, California. This one, however, was found in a weakened state, at Combers Beach near Tofino in the Pacific Rim National Park, a 197 sq. mile strip of land and ocean off of the coast of Vancouver Island.
A research associate with the Vancouver Aquarium, Wendy Szaniszlo, spotted the seal on Wednesday and while she could see it was in distress she was unable to do anything about it. She got Parks Canada and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans involved and the following day they saw it again and were able to corral it into a kennel.
The rescuers took it to the aquarium, where efforts are being made to save the seal, whose species is on the endangered list in the U.S. after being hunted almost to the point of extinction in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Along with medical care, the seal is getting nutrition and rest.
“He is in poor to fair body condition, and seems to be pretty dehydrated,” veterinarian Dr. Karisa Tang of the Vancouver Aquarium said. “He is definitely lethargic and very mentally inappropriate.”
Warmer sea waters
The chief veterinarian of the Vancouver Aquarium, Dr. Martin Haulena, said that while aware of its surroundings it has yet to show an interest in food. The treatment regime includes subcutaneous fluids, gastric protectants and antibiotics. Dr. Haulena said it is “extremely rare for these animals to strand in B.C.; we’ve never responded to one before.”
The male seal likely made its way up here following prey, fish who may have migrated north to avoid an unusually warm swath of sea water that has prevailed along the west coast of California and points north. Since the onset of warmer waters last year, there has been a higher amount of Guadalupe Fur Seals washing up sick or dead on the coast of California.
Tissue samples are being tested with a view to discovering if the seal has been exposed to any toxic algae. Meanwhile, the green sea turtle, also found ailing on a beach in Pacific Rim Park, is being treated at the aquarium for hypothermia; the turtle also has wounds to its shell.
