Rescued seal pup finds 'furever' home at aquarium in Connecticut
An injured seal pup rescued from the shores of Alaska has found its "furever" home after a lengthy rehabilitation in an intensive care unit for marine mammals.
Kayok, an Alaskan fur seal pup, was rescued in a harbor off Sitka, Alaska, in January after researchers noticed she was continuously losing weight over several days, according to Laurie Macha, senior director of marine mammals and birds at the Mystic Aquarium in Stonington, Connecticut.
At 5 months old, the pup, named "Kayok" for the Inuit word "golden," was in critical condition, weighing just about 14 pounds, the size of a newborn pup, compared to a healthy weight of about 33 pounds, according to the aquarium.
Kayok was rehabilitated at the Alaska Sealife Center for several months, where her caretakers observed she was unable to maintain a healthy body weight on her own. There, they determined that Kayok would would only have a 50% chance of survival in the wild and would not be able to be released, Macha told ABC News.
In September, Macha traveled to Alaska to accompany Kayok to her forever home at the Mystic Aquarium. The trip included observation by an attending veterinarian and husbandry expert aboard a cargo plane from Alaska to Connecticut.
But once Kayok arrived, she still had time left in her healing journey in the ICU before she could join her peers in the seal pool. In the ICU, Kayok's caretakers worked on getting her weight up and performed various medical procedures to ensure that all of her blood values remained within healthy range, Macha said.
As Kayok became healthier, her personality began to shine through. The "extremely spunky" pup, estimated to be about 1 year old, now has enough rambunctious energy to keep her caretakers on their toes.
On Tuesday, she was finally released into the seal pool, which she will share with cousins of another species, harbor seals, which are typically found in the same region, Macha said.
"I expect that she'll be pretty spunky because she'll be the smallest one in the group," Macha said.
Northern fur seal populations are currently classified as "depleted" under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Populations were wiped to the brink of extinction prior to the 20th century as they were hunted for their coats, which is the second-thickest in the animal kingdom.
Captivity programs at accredited zoos are essential to maintaining the population, Macha said, adding that Mystic Aquarium houses six of the eight northern fur seals currently residing in zoos and aquariums in the country.
The New England Aquarium in Boston has loaned the Mystic Aquarium a female northern seal fur as part of their breeding program, Macha said.
In addition to honoring the Inuit community, Kayok's name was chosen to celebrate Mystic's 50th, or "golden," anniversary, she added.
"Our steadfast dedication underscores the significance of shielding endangered and vulnerable populations," the aquarium said in a statement.
