Six B.C. seals are headed home for the holidays after being nursed back to health over the past year.
The seals were rescued by the Vancouver Aquarium’s Marine Mammal Rescue Society after they were found underweight, lethargic and emaciated. Some became separated from their mothers, while others were coping with the fallout of encounters with humans.
“It feels like a celebration,” said marine mammal rescue volunteer Krista Tulloch. “Animals are back where they belong.”
The pinnipeds were released from Porteau Cove Provincial Park on Tuesday with a crowd of people cheering them on.
Martin Haulena, the executive director at the rescue society, said the location provides a normal habitat for harbour seals. “It’s sheltered and there are lots of places to haul out and it’s safe from people and dogs.”
The seals seemed to approve of the quiet, semi-secluded location and all entered the ocean, though one hesitated briefly.
One of the seals, nicknamed Keefer Rocks, was released with a satellite tag so he can be monitored.
According to tracking studies, seals tend to disperse far and wide no matter where they are released. Seals brought from as far away as Victoria could return there or find a new home, Haulena said.
“They’re going to cover all sorts of ground, they’re going to look for an ideal spot for themselves. It’s going to take some time to settle,” he said.
Keefer's satellite tag, which is glued to his hair, will allow the veterinarians and the public to track him as he ventures out to find his new home.
“We can follow along where Keefer goes, where he dives to or how much he dives and kind of get an idea of survival rate,” said Haulena.
At a certain point, the tracker will fall off. The hope is to gather enough data before that happens.
Harbour seals tend to be fairly solitary and releasing them gives them a second chance at life, Haulena said, and the rescue society’s rehabilitated seals do almost as well as animals that have never gone through a rehabilitation program or rescue program.
“We’re giving animals who have been affected by people a second chance to be out there in the wild and contributing to our ecosystem.”
