Maritime Aquarium Mourns Death Of Beloved Harbor Seal

NORWALK, CT — The Maritime Aquarium has announced the death of one of its oldest harbor seals who once gave Paul Newman a kiss back in the late 90's.

According to a news release provided by the aquarium, harbor seal Tillie died late Thursday. She was considered geriatric in age and her health had been slowly declining for a few weeks.

Tillie's passing comes just three weeks after the death of Ariel, another beloved harbor seal at the Norwalk aquarium who lived to be 33 years old.

"All of us at the aquarium are mourning the loss of Tillie, especially so soon after the loss of Ariel last month," Maritime Aquarium CEO Jason Patlis said in a news release. "Most of our harbor seals have been with us for decades, and have individual personalities and connections with our marine mammal team; each loss is uniquely difficult, and even harder when we are forced to confront the harsh realities of caring for a geriatric population that continues to age and reach the end of their lives."

According to the aquarium, a majority of their harbor seal population is considered geriatric in age, with an average life expectancy of around 25 years old in human care and even lower in the wild. The animals' long and healthy lives are a credit to the extraordinary care and compassion offered by the facility's animal husbandry team.

The animal husbandry team worked to support Tillie and keep her comfortable through her remaining last days at the aquarium. Medical care for the aquarium's seal population includes annual physical exams, weekly check-ins with veterinarians, monthly weight monitoring and regular diagnostic testing including blood and tissue samples.

"Many of our seals are getting on in age, which can go hand in hand with common medical issues like cataracts, arthritis and cancer," Maritime Aquarium Veterinarian Jim Micinilio said in a news release. "It's not that different from how people age."

Tillie was born at Mystic Aquarium on May 30, 1986, and came to the Maritime Aquarium with her mother, Susie, in 1988. She was known for her sweet personality, petite stature and big eyes.

Tillie’s claim to fame was giving Paul Newman a kiss in July 1997. She was also very close with her trainers and was always looking for them both in and out of the water, according to the aquarium.

"The passing of Tillie is incredibly heartbreaking especially after losing Ariel a few weeks earlier," Interim Director of Animal Husbandry Rachel Stein said in a news release. "We all loved her dearly and the team that has worked with her knows she has been a mainstay of the aquarium since it opened and we will miss her."

The aquarium's animal husbandry and veterinary teams are currently awaiting the results of Tillie's necropsy to determine the cause of her death, according to the facility.

"Tillie was a very easy seal to train and was both an excellent teacher and student," Trainer III Clay McArdle said in a news release. "We will miss her and her sweet personality; it will be hard not having her around."

Aquarium visitors can share memories and photos of Tillie on her memorial page.