Two harbor seal pups found abandoned in the Cordova area are being treated at the Alaska Sealife Center (ASLC) after a Seward pilot volunteered to make two nearly 300-mile rescue journeys.
ASLC officials said pilot Duke Marolf and his wife Pamela Eiting transported both pups, who were found separately, to the center in Seward last month.
The first pup was found in the water outside of Cordova with injuries suggesting she had become entangled in a gillnet. Presence of a fresh umbilical cord indicated she was born recently, possibly less than 24 hours old.
An initial exam at ASLC showed a large gash, and while veterinarians were working to stabilize the pup they got a report of a second baby seal spotted alone on a beach in Boswell Bay on Hinchinbrook Island, unusually far from the water. The second pup showed signs of severe dehydration and was monitored on site overnight to confirm no adult seal returned. However, when an eagle was repeatedly following the pup along the beach NOAA authorized its relocation to ASLC.
The couple again volunteered to make the rescue flight into remote Hinchinbrook Island to fetch the seal and bring her back to Seward.
After her rescue, ASLC officials reported the second pup was significantly dehydrated, malnourished and had an ulcer in one eye.
“What stood out most to me about the whole experience was how much of a team effort these rescues really are,” Eiting said. “From the people who first notice and report the animals, to the Troopers, local residents, pilots, and the Alaska Sealife Center staff, everyone plays a part in giving these wild animals a chance, and Duke and I are so grateful to be a part of it.”
The veterinary team is providing initial stabilizing treatments for both pups and is continuing to evaluate their conditions, ASLC staff said.
The center’s Wildlife Response Program depends on partnerships and the collective support of donors, sponsors and community members statewide. More information is online at www.alaskasealife.org/donate.
