Seal Pup Rescued From Ocean City Dunes On Valentine's Day

OCEAN CITY, NJ — The Marine Mammal Stranding Center (MMSC) has a new patient - their first Grey seal pup of the season.

The pup, estimated to be 6 to 8 weeks old, was discovered nestled in Ocean City dunes on Valentine's Day, the stranding center said.

"The little seal was in thin overall body condition, and had some irritation from sand in her eyes," MMSC said.

MMSC believes that the baby seal didn't learn to eat very well after being weaned from her mother. Her weight upon being found was only 30.4 pounds.

"Grey seals only nurse for about two weeks, and once weaned they are completely independent. Grey seal pups weigh about 30-35lbs when they are born, and by the time they are weaned they can triple their body weight," MMSC said. "The pups will live off their fat reserves as they learn to hunt for fish on their own. It seems this little one wasn't successfully feeding herself, so she dropped back down to close to birth weight by the time she completed her 300+ mile marathon swim from the pupping grounds in New England (even as far as Canada!) to New Jersey."

She is now in at the stranding center, where she is being fed and will remain there until she has gained weight and recovered, before being released back into the wild.

For more information about the MMSC, visit their website.