Chilkat Valley News - Serving Haines and Klukwan, Alaska since 1966

Two abandoned harbor seal pups were found on beaches near Haines last week.

One pup, a male, was found on Friday by Ron Jackson on the Chilkat Inlet beach near his house. The other, a female, was rescued near Lutak on Sunday. Both were premature.

Jackson said he went down to the beach on Friday to check a couple of crab pots. "I looked over, and there it was." He said he'd only ever seen seal pups in pictures, but "I recognized it immediately because of its cute little face."

The seal was acting really weak, Jackson said. "At first, it was laying by the rocks. Then it tried crawling around. It would let out a little bleating sound. At one point it seemed like it was trying to crawl downhill. It would stop and rest and close its eyes."

Jackson took pictures of the seal and sent them to Tracy Mikowski at Haines Animal Rescue Kennel (HARK). Mikowski, in turn, contacted the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, a person must receive permission before approaching a marine mammal. After receiving permission to assist the animal, she instructed Jackson to carry it up from the beach.

Jackson wrapped a shirt around the seal and picked it up. He said he estimates the seal was 18-20 inches long and still had its umbilical cord attached.

The seal seemed "pretty out of it," he said. "It reacted very little. It was like a limp little blob in my arms."

Jackson said he was struck by how gelatinous the pup felt. "They're such a soft, squishy little animal, something close to a jellyfish in a bag... It wasn't like if I picked up my dog, which has structure to it."

Mikowski retrieved the seal from Jackson and put it in a crate on a 4 p.m. flight to Juneau. She said staff from NOAA's Marine Fisheries Service collected the seal and administered fluids. The seal was supposed to fly the next day to the Alaska Sea Life Center in Seward, the only facility in the state authorized to rehabilitate harbor seals, "but he didn't survive the night... evidently he was just not developed enough," she said.

The second seal was found by Barb and Jerry Blood who were walking the beach near the old tank farm dock.

"I could hear this mewing sound, and I thought it was an odd sound for a bird," Barb Blood said. She said she almost overlooked the seal, it blended in so well with the beach.

The Bloods flagged down Natalie Jobbins as she was driving past. Jobbins contacted Mikowski, who asked a series of questions about the seal's appearance, including the texture of its fur. Jobbins said Mikowski asked them to wait to make sure nothing harmed the seal while she came out to pick it up.

Mikowski said the professionals she contacted determined both pups were likely premature after questioning her and viewing photos and videos of the seals. The biggest indicator was the seals' fuzzy, blond coats.

"It's called lanugo and would normally be replaced by a spotted more waterproof coat if they were more developed," Mikowski said. The first seal, the male, was very premature with a fuzzy coat and no teeth. The second was more developed with "a couple teeth just visible."

Since the second pup was found on Sunday, when Alaska Seaplanes is closed, Mikowski took it home and administered fluids in consultation with Sea Life Center staff. The seal flew out Monday morning and arrived at the center by the end of the day.

The Sea Life Center did not respond to requests for comment about the pup's status by press time.

Mikowski said she spoke with staff at the center who said "it was probably one of the smallest, if not the smallest preemie they've ever taken in. Its condition is critical but improving every day."

Mikowski said two abandoned seal pups in a single week is unprecedented. Since summer 2011 when she started at HARK, she's only ever been involved in one other premature seal rescue. The pup was also transferred to the Alaska Sea Life Center. The following fall it returned to Southeast for release into the wild.

"I actually got to open the crate door and let her return to the ocean," Mikowski said.

NOAA public affairs officer Julie Speegle said they receive roughly 10 reports of live harbor seal pups each year. In many cases seal mothers are nearby and will return to their pups.

"The best thing to do is to leave the pup on the beach, stay back at least 150 feet, take photos if possible, call the stranding hotline at 877-925-7773, and report the location and condition of the pup," Speegle said. "Luckily, this is exactly what was done with both pups in Haines."

Harbor seal pupping season has just begun. The two seals in Haines were the first reported this season, Speegle said.