New York Marine Rescue Center releases gray seal pup after 10 weeks of rehab

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.

Accompanied by the cheers of spectators, 5-month old Whopper disappeared into the ocean after 10-weeks of rehabilitation with Riverhead-based nonprofit New York Marine Rescue Center. The organization responds to stranded or injured “sea turtles, seals, small cetaceans [dolphins and porpoises] in New York State,” according to its website.

“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 Maxine Montello, the organization’s rescue program director. “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.”

Whopper was found stranded at Coopers Beach in Southampton on May 7, 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. Whopper underwent 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, Whopper gained nearly 40 pounds, and was released weighing roughly 100 pounds, 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 are on their own and sometimes struggle finding food and often get 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.

In order to be released, rehabbed animals must be off antibiotics for two weeks and cleared by the organization’s veterinarian, Ms. Montello said. They’re also tagged so they can be identified if found stranded 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 long journey during 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 said the releases are a big perk of the job.

“You’re going to feel like the biggest celebrity in the world,” she said of releasing rescued animals back into the wild. “Everybody coming down and cheering and smiling … it’s super awesome.”

Volunteer Jillian Kennedy said that 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,” she said.

Ms. Montello said the organization will continuing releasing animals all summer, typically at Tiana Beach on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 6 p.m. Those interested in attending a release can follow the organization’s social media channels at @nymarinerescuecenter on Instagram and NY Marine Rescue Center on Facebook.

Ms. Montello encourages anyone who sees a stranded animal to call the organization’s 24-hour hotline at 631-369-9829. Those who would like to volunteer or contribute to the organization can visit nymarinerescue.org.