Grey Seal Pup Rescued from Assateague Being Cared for at National Aquarium

A grey seal pup that is too young to survive in the ocean without its mother has been rescued by the National Aquarium and is on its way to learning how to survive on its own. It is one of three maternally-dependent seals admitted to the Animal Care and Rescue Center (ACRC) over the past year, indicating a possible establishment of a grey seal colony, known as a rookery, in mid-Atlantic waters.

Aquarium staff welcomed the grey seal pup on February 26 to the ACRC. The pup was rescued from Assateague Island National Seashore where he was found stranded and dehydrated with wounds of unknown origin to his face and left flipper. He has been nicknamed Louis Armstrong in keeping with the National Aquarium's 2021-2022 rescue season naming theme of musicians and instruments.

Weighing in at just 35 pounds, the Animal Rescue team was quickly able to determine that Louis was born sometime in January and, in the wild, would still be dependent on his mother for nourishment, leaving him vulnerable to predators and susceptible to malnutrition on his own.

Since arriving at the ACRC last month, Louis has been treated with antibiotics to address infections resulting from the wounds to his face and flipper. The Animal Rescue team is now working with Louis to master independent swimming and foraging for food, which are skills he will need to survive on his own after his eventual release.

Louis is a vocal and spirited pup who has no reservations about making noise to let rescue staff know when it's time for a meal, and his Aquarium caregivers describe him as having a big personality. He is slowly getting comfortable in his splash pools and seeking out fish. Since a seal his age would still rely on its mother for nutrition, it is critical that Louis begin to understand how to find and eat fish on his own while in the Aquarium's care.

Louis is the third maternally-dependent seal admitted to the ACRC over the past year, which indicates a trend that the Animal Rescue team is looking at carefully. The ongoing presence of grey seals, in particular, indicates the possible establishment of a rookery in mid-Atlantic waters.

While the National Aquarium's Animal Rescue staff cannot say with certainty where any individual rescued seal is from or what led them to haul up on a mid-Atlantic beach, it stands to reason that it will continue to see grey seal rescue cases.

Louis will remain at the ACRC until he is cleared for release. He will need to meet several health checks, including reaching a weight of 50 pounds before he is deemed eligible for a return to his ocean home. Seal rescue season in the mid-Atlantic typically lasts from the early winter through May. Should you encounter a beached seal, it may not be sick, only resting. Do not touch or approach it and keep a distance of 150 feet. Note your location and time of day and immediately contact the National Aquarium's Stranded Animal Hotline at 410-576-3880.