A harbor seal pup is now receiving treatment at a rehabilitation center in Seattle after multiple agencies assisted in airlifting her from Point Roberts to Bellingham for initial treatment on Wednesday.
Hanna Cillo, the primary co-investigator for the Whatcom Humane Society Wildlife Center Stranding Network, said the pup was found on a beach in Point Roberts on Wednesday morning, Aug. 21 by a volunteer.
Cillo said the pup was very thin, very dehydrated and had an eye injury. She was not weaned off her mother yet. Being found in Point Roberts was a challenge, too: with two land borders in between there and Whatcom County, it’s difficult to transport marine animals via land to Bellingham for treatment. On Wednesday, the weather made transporting via boat impossible.
Fire Chief Christopher Carleton in Point Roberts said he heard from Cillo that the seal needed transporting and called DART, Disaster Airlift Response Team, who put a call out.
Jason Douglass, owner of San Juan Airlines, said he heard the call.
“I had an aircraft positioned on Orcas Island and didn’t hesitate when the call came in. Seemed like the least we could do,” Douglass said in an email. Cillo said the pup arrived at the Humane Society by 1 p.m. Wednesday.
The pup, who is unnamed at this point, was transported down to SR3 Sealife Response, Rehabilitation, and Research in Seattle Thursday morning. Cillo said the pup is stabilized, and she hopes she will recover within a few months.
Carleton said this is the second seal rescue in Point Roberts this summer. Cillo said pupping season runs from May to late August.
Cillo said having Carleton working with them this year has made “a huge difference in the lives of these pups,” especially this one.
“[It was] just a really, really great collaboration to get this seal pup into care,” Cillo said.
Members of the public should call the Stranding Hotline in their area (for Whatcom County that’s the Whatcom Humane Society Wildlife Center at 360-966-8845) if they see a seal pup in distress. It is against the law to approach, to handle or to intervene in any way with a marine animal, Cillo said. Stay 100 yards away and keep dogs leashed if you see a marine mammal.
Charlotte Alden is CDN’s general assignment/enterprise reporter; reach her at charlottealden@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 123.
