SEAL RESCUED IN ALASKA JOINS AQUARIUM COLLECTION

Mystic — A juvenile female spotted seal, who was rescued after a stranding on a beach in Alaska, is now part of the collection at Mystic Aquarium after she was deemed non releasable by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Nuna, was rescued in May in Stebbins, Alaska, and treated by Alaska SeaLife Center before being transported to Mystic Aquarium.

Nuna will join Siku, a another rescued spotted seal in the aquarium’s Pacific Northwest exhibit.

Nuna was part of a string of elevated ice seal strandings that have occurred in the Bering and Chukchi seas since June 2018. NOAA has termed the strandings of Nuna and others as Unusual Mortality Events. This is defined as “a stranding that is unexpected; involves a significant die-off of any marine mammal population; and demands immediate response.”

NOAA is investigating what caused the UMEs.

The aquarium said children playing on a beach in Stebbins, Alaska, noticed the seal in distress and alerted tribal elders. The seal, which was only weeks old, was brought to ASLC and treated for emaciation, dehydration, and anemia as a result of gastrointestinal issues. During treatment, NOAA deemed the seal as non-releasable.

“She’s a survivor,” said Laurie Macha, the aquarium’s curator of marine mammals & birds, about Nuna.

The aquarium said that while NOAA’s investigation is ongoing, “speculation is that ice seals are being negatively impacted by early-season lack of sea ice, the reduction in food availability and the possibility of harmful algal blooms.”

Nuna will also be featured in an upcoming episode of the National Geographic “Wild” series, “Saving Wild Alaska” that is slated to air in 2020.