 The harp seal pup in our facility. |
 Three harbor seal pups currently in care getting some much needed rest. |
 A harbor seal pup on the beach prior to collection for rehabilitation. |
The past few weeks have been full of surprises for us here at Marine Mammals of Maine. First, and not unexpectedly, we admitted our first harbor seal pup of the season on Saturday, April 26. Admitted from Cape Cod (more on that later) this pup, along with the many that have, and will continue to follow, faces a long road to recovery to return to the wild. It turns out that admitting our first harbor seal pup from south of our response region wasn’t the most unusual case of the month, though.
On April 28, we received a call from Biddeford about a pup with its lanugo fur, indicating a newborn. Upon evaluation we discovered a harp seal pup. Harp seals are usually born in the arctic in February and March, so a pup from this species in our region is unusual to say the least. Requiring different types of care than the harbor seal pups we typically see this type of year, this was a first plot twist requiring us to rethink and rework our procedures to help this pup in need.
Then, later that week, we learned that neither of the two other rehabilitation facilities for seals in New England would be admitting harbor seal pups for the foreseeable future. This means MMoME’s facility is currently the only lifeline for young seals in need across all of New England. We’ve always strived to support our response network neighbors outside of our coverage area, like offering care for our current patient from Cape Cod, but because we routinely reach maximum capacity at our facility we are concerned about the incredibly tough decisions on the horizon for seals in need of care.
We remain steadfast in our commitment to offer compassionate care and humane response to animals in need and today we could use your help to help them. We’re exploring how we may be able to increase our permitted capacity to care for more seals at one time in our facility. Doing so comes with increased costs. Your gift today will help to provide the necessary food, medical care and a safe and quiet space for patients to gain strength.
With many months of critical care ahead, every dollar raised will make a difference. This is not an update I was anticipating writing, but we’re working hard to respond to these unexpected circumstances and we’re grateful to have you as a partner as we do so. Thank you for your gift today.
With gratitude,
Lynda-Ada Doughty, MMoME Executive Director
