The gray seal was found on East Street and Chapel Street. He was rescued by Mystic Aquarium’s animal rescue program and will be nursed back to health.
NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Mystic Aquarium picked up a seal in New Haven after the state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) found it in the city Sunday.
It is currently unclear what the seal was doing in New Haven, as police said: “No one knows how it got there.”
In a post on X, police shared a photo of the seal and wrote, “Meet the newest addition to the department!”
Mystic Aquarium’s Animal Rescue Program helped the seal out.
The aquarium said the gray seal was likely only a few weeks old. After he was rescued, he was examined by the aquarium’s veterinary team and was found to be lethargic, dehydrated, and in thin condition, weighing only 28 pounds.
The seal began fluid therapy and an individualized treatment plan and will start feeding with a diluted fish formula. The aquarium said it was to help provide him with nutrition to heal and grow.
Mystic Aquarium said that the goal for this deal, along with every other rescued marine mammal and sea turtle, is to release the seal back to its ocean home once he is healthy and strong.
“Mystic Aquarium is pleased to have rescued this misdirected young seal in need of help, and looks forward to hopefully returning the seal back to the ocean in the months ahead,” said Dr. Allison Tuttle, Mystic Aquarium’s Chief Zoological Officer. “We are proud to provide marine mammal response, rescue, and rehabilitation for the state of Connecticut, and help marine animals in need.”
Gray seals are federally protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act. According to the aquarium, newborns typically weigh about 35 pounds and will nurse on a high-fat milk diet for about three weeks. This seal, in his condition, was fortunate to have been rescued when he was.
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