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The National Aquarium Stranding Response Center in Ocean City, Maryland, is the front line for taking in and triaging injured and sick seals on the Eastern Shore. Staff and volunteers assess the animals by taking their temperature, listening to their hearts and lungs, and collecting diagnostic samples. Triage results give staff the information they need to start treatments in a timely manner.
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Seals in need of long-term care are brought to the Animal Care and Rescue Center in Baltimore. Young animals that were separated from their mothers too early are taught life skills like swimming and foraging. Staff assist with feeding, when necessary, but the goal is to keep the animals from associating humans with food. Seals already eating on their own are encouraged to find fish tossed into their pools or placed in puzzle feeders.
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Recovering seals must meet certain criteria set by NOAA before they can be released. Seals must be able to track prey, have reached a specific weight and receive a clean bill of health from repeated veterinary exams, among many other things. In cases where different expertise is needed, like when special medical imaging or surgeries are required, rescue staff collaborate with specialists.
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Once seals are cleared for release, staff take their pictures for future identification and place tags, like those used for livestock, on them. Tags show that the animal has been rescued and treated at the National Aquarium, and if they strand in the future, responders can contact us. Release days are happy occasions as staff and volunteers watch the animals they've nursed back to health scoot their way back into the waves.