Mystic Aquarium

Mystic Aquarium’s animal rescue team will release two 5-month-old harbor seal pups, Hershey and Brunswick, into the waters of Charlestown Breachway State Beach on Charlestown Beach Road in Charlestown, R.I., on Tuesday, Oct. 23 at 10 a.m.*

Both Hershey, a female, and Brunswick, a male, were rescued in Maine and spent a brief period of time undergoing rehabilitation at the University of New England’s Marine Animal Rehabilitation Center in Biddeford, Maine, before being transferred to Mystic Aquarium’s Seal Rescue Clinic.

Hershey was rescued on May 28 and came to Mystic Aquarium on June 4. A thin, dehydrated, abandoned pup, she was treated with supportive fluid therapy and antibiotics. Brunswick was rescued on July 2 and came to Mystic Aquarium on July 16. He arrived as a weanling and was thin, dehydrated, hypoglycemic and mildly anemic. He also had an open wound on his neck and an infection in his eye, both of which have healed well. During his rehabilitation, he received supportive fluid and dextrose therapy, antibiotics, eye ointments, and daily topical wound treatment.

Susan Sullivan of Ledyard, Conn., will be a special member of Mystic Aquarium’s animal rescue team on Tuesday. Sullivan was the highest bidder at the Seals on the Rocks fundraiser in June, allowing her the unique opportunity to accompany the animal rescue team during release preparation in the Seal Rescue Clinic and on the drive to the beach. She will open Hershey’s carrier to release her back into the ocean.

Mystic Aquarium’s 3- to 5-year-old Sea School students will attend the release after learning about the rescue and release process from the animal rescue team. They made farewell signs for the occasion and will be joined by family and friends. Sea School is the nation’s only aquarium-based licensed preschool program.

Mystic Aquarium’s Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Stranding Program supports animals in need and educates the public about the marine environment and its inhabitants. The public is encouraged to call the aquarium’s 24-hour hotline at 860.572.5955 ext. 107 if they encounter a marine mammal or sea turtle in Connecticut, Rhode Island or Fishers Island, N.Y.

*Please note that marine animal release dates and times can change at the last minute, given the variables of medical health and release readiness, weather and a variety of other factors.  Mystic Aquarium will do its best to provide advance information if a change in a release schedule is anticipated.  We ask for your patience in cases where such advance notification is impossible.  Thank you for your support and understanding.

Published on October 18, 2012