While stunning views of sunsets and ocean waves are typically what draw beachgoers to the seaside, on Wednesday night a large crowd gathered at Tiana Beach in Hampton Bays to see off Whopper, a male gray seal pup.
Whopper, five months old, accompanied by the applause and cheers of spectators, disappeared into the ocean as he was released after a 10-week rehabilitation period with Riverhead-based nonprofit New York Marine Rescue Center. The organization “responds to sea turtles, seals, small cetaceans [dolphins and porpoises] in New York State,” according to their website.
“So, we have a lot of animals that strand throughout New York due to these entanglements in monofilament which is old fishing line and rope,” said the organization’s rescue program director, Maxine Montello. “So these animals are very young, small pups and very inquisitive so we think that they kind of search through some of the pollution that’s out there in the ocean and then they get entangled around their neck and then their front flipper.”
Whooper was rescued on May 7 at Coopers Beach in Southampton, Ms. Montello said.
“When he came in, he had a line around his neck that we were able to cut off and treat the wound externally. We also started him on antibiotics. Because of the entanglement, we think he wasn’t really eating very well so we also had to get him nice and fat and be able to get him hydrated,” she said.
Ms. Montello explained that seals get their hydration from their food, so if they’re not eating, they get very dehydrated. He received fluid therapy until he began eating on his own.
“We feed them four times a day, two hours and forty-five minutes between each feed,” she said. “That’s supposed to help with regulating their glucose levels, make sure that they stay hydrated.”
During his time in rehab, he gained nearly 40 pounds. He weighed around 100 pounds when he was released Ms. Montello said.
She explained that most of the animals that become stranded do so because it’s their first time leaving their mother. She explained that the pups nurse for three to four weeks and then they are on their own and sometimes struggle foraging and getting food and get themselves in trouble with entanglements.
“They really live a solitary life until they’re about three to five years old, when they become sexually mature and then they are able to find other seals to hang out with,” she said.
To be released, the animals must be off antibiotics for two weeks and cleared by the organization’s veterinarian, Ms. Montello said. They’re also animals tagged so they can be identified if found by the organization again, she explained
The group also keeps an archive of information from the animals they rehabilitate, including blood samples.
Ms. Montello expects that Whopper will have a great journey over the summer.
“He’ll probably stay here for a little bit and then head up to Maine and Canada, where [seals often] stay for the whole summer and then they usually come back down here towards the wintertime.”
An intern at the Marine Rescue Center, Sophia Koshansky, has been with the organization since May and is loving the work
“[The release feels like] like you’re going to feel like the biggest celebrity in the world,” she said. “Everybody coming down and cheering and smiling … it’s super awesome.”
Volunteer Jillian Kennedy has been with the Marine Rescue Center for four weeks. She added each release is an incredible experience because “you know you did something good.”
“It’s a lot of work and dedication but it’s so worth it because of what we just did.”
Ms. Montello said the organization will be doing releases all summer and they usually do them at Tiana beach on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 6 p.m. To those who want to attend a release, follow the organization’s social media channels at @nymarinerescuecenter on Instagram and NY Marine Rescue Center on Facebook.
Ms. Montello encourages those who see stranded animals to call the organization’s 24-hour hotline at 631-369-9829. Those who would like to donate or contribute to the organization can visit nymarinerescue.org.
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