Sealed Fate – Epilog

This is a multi-part story. Read part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | epilog

Follow up. Garry called to thank me for being so persistent about getting a rescue for baby Arctic. He said the rescue was the first collaborative event for the organizations involved, so it helped forge a good working relationship for future events.

Arctic, as the pup was soon named, had a rough go of it at first, but the expert staff at Wolf Hollow took great care of him and he soon turned into a healthy, chubby gregarious little seal. His shrunken, cloudy eye was from dehydration and cleared up with bottle feeding. Wolf Hollow (donate here if you wish) is a small non-profit wildlife rehab facility that has treated over 220 species of wild animals since it began in 1983. They ended up with a total of 5 seal pups this year.

After 3 months at the facility, Arctic and his four new friends were released into the wild on October 21st. I was invited to attend his release, but we were in California at the time. Before their departure, each rescue received a permanent flipper tag and a temporary “hat tag” that falls off when they molt (but it tracks them in the short term if someone sees the tag and calls it in). When he arrived at Wolf Hollow, Arctic weighed only 18 pounds. On the day he was released, he weighed in at a whopping 64 pounds – the largest of the class of 2023!

Last week, we were at Cypress Island again, on the same mooring ball that I first found Arctic. I looked around for Arctic, curious if pups come back to the place they are born. I also wondered if Arctic’s hat tag was called in. So to finalize the fate of Arctic the seal pup, I contacted the staff at Wolf Hollow. They said that they have never had a hat tag called in yet, so no word back on Arctic’s location. They said that pups that not weaned by the time of their rescue do not return to their birth locations, but rather remain as a group with the other rescues released with them. So we assume he’s living his best life in the beautiful Salish Sea with his pals.

Full Press Release

Orca Network’s Central Puget Sound Marine Mammal Stranding Network plays an important role in monitoring the health of our local marine life.

They respond to live and dead marine mammal strandings in Island, Skagit and North Snohomish Counties, collect data for the National Marine Mammal database, collect specimens and perform necropsies for research and educational display, and provide public education to avoid interactions between people and marine mammals. Our Stranding Network team consists of our response coordinator Garry Heinrich, veterinarian Dr. Stephanie Norman, and a whole lot of dedicated, passionate volunteers.

In July, the Stranding Network received a call from some people on Cypress Island who said there was a seal pup hanging around their boat. The pup remained in the water by the boat for a few days with no sign of mama seal returning, so Garry determined that the pup needed help and it was time to intervene, but getting him somewhere for help was going to be a challenge.

In a great display of partnership, he called the San Juan County Marine Mammal Stranding Network who picked up the little seal in their boat and transported him to Wolf Hollow Wildlife Rehabilitation Center on San Juan Island, one of the few wildlife rehab centers in the state licensed to care for marine mammals.

Arctic, as the pup was soon named, was only about 4 days old when he arrived and he was hypothermic, dehydrated, and weak. He had a rough go of it at first, but the expert staff at Wolf Hollow took great care of him and he soon turned into a healthy, chubby gregarious little seal.

After 3 months at the facility, Arctic and his four new friends were ready to be released. They each received a permanent flipper tag and a temporary “hat tag” which will fall off when they molt but will help to track them in the short term if someone sees the tag and calls it in.

When he arrived at Wolf Hollow, Arctic weighed only 18 pounds, which is under average birth weight for harbor seals. On the day he was released, he weighed in at a whopping 64 pounds – the largest of the class of 2023!

Farewell to Arctic, Skipper, Marble, Nymph, and West Coast Lady! We hope you all have long and very happy lives. Huge thanks to the caring people at Cypress Island who were concerned enough to make the call, to the Central Puget Sound and San Juan County Marine Mammal Stranding Networks for rescuing and transporting Arctic, and to Wolf Hollow Wildlife Rehabilitation Center who gave him a second chance at life. Thank you so much for helping to save this guy’s life!