“There was no escape for her.”
The gray seal pup trapped between the boulders might have easily gone unnoticed.
However, on March 18, a passerby walking along the shore of Odiorne Point State Park in Massachusetts happened to spot her.
“As he crossed one of the crevices, something caught his eye, a slight movement among the rocks,” shared Ashley Stokes, the director of marine mammal rescue at Seacoast Science Center. “Intrigued, he retraced his steps, peering down into the rocks to investigate.”
The man promptly reported the seal’s stranding, prompting Stokes and her colleagues at Seacoast Science Center to spring into action. Stokes speculated that the young seal became trapped between the rocks during a spell of rough weather.
“In the couple of days prior, we experienced astronomically high tides, along with some storm surge,” Stokes explained. “This combination caused the water level to cover the jetty, an occurrence that rarely happens. It’s likely that the young seal hauled out on the jetty to rest, and as the tide receded, she slipped down into the crevice. When the tidal height returned to normal, no longer reaching the top of the jetty, she had no means of escape.”
Initially, the seal exhibited uncertainty towards the rescue team. As they attempted to extract her, she resisted by burrowing deeper into the crevice and defensively using her nails and teeth. The narrowness of the gap intensified the challenge of the rescue operation.
However, the team persisted. “We managed to free her hind flippers from the deepest part of the crevice and then slid a blanket underneath her body to gently ease her out,” Stokes explained.
Once the seal pup was safely removed, they transported her to the Seacoast Science Center for medical attention. Dehydration emerged as their primary concern, given her prolonged entrapment estimated to be between 24-48 hours.
They also estimated her age to be between 1 and 2.5 months, relatively young but already independent from her mother. Interestingly, baby gray seals only rely on their mothers for about 21-28 days.
Fortunately, despite her ordeal, the seal was in relatively good condition.
“Despite the significant dehydration and slight soft tissue swelling in the hind flippers, her overall health was deemed good,” Stokes stated. “Her spirited demeanor and clear displeasure with handling indicated she was a suitable candidate for release, rather than requiring rehabilitation.”
Following fluid therapy, the team tagged her and returned her to the wild, her rightful home.
“After a brief moment of respite upon exiting the kennel at her release site, she energetically swam off,” Stokes recounted.
The absence of sightings of the young seal since then is actually a positive sign, according to Stokes, as it suggests she’s likely thriving in her natural habitat.
Stokes attributes the successful outcome of the rescue to the man who reported the stranded gray seal. “If it wasn’t for him, this story likely could have ended much differently,” she acknowledged.
However, she emphasized the importance of adhering to regulations under normal circumstances, highlighting that it’s crucial for the general public to maintain a distance of at least 150 feet from marine mammals. All marine mammals are federally protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act.