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Young Grey Seal Recuperating In Bermuda After Rescue

After first being spotted by someone out for their morning exercise, a young male grey seal — estimated to be under a year old —  was rescued from a Bermuda beach, and is now receiving treatment at the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo [BAMZ].

The seal was first seen at Clearwater Beach, and it returned to the ocean before BAMZ staff could arrive to provide assistance.

They noted that “Seals are not usually found in Bermuda and there have been only a handful rescued in the last 20 years. A seal in Bermuda is in distress as there are no good fish for them in Bermuda waters and they have made a large ocean crossing and are likely exhausted emaciated and dehydrated.

“We are asking that if members of the public see the seal pup, to keep their distance from the animal, as it is possibly stressed, and to contact the BAMZ Animal hotline at (441) 293-2727 ext #999.”

This followed after Ruby Dill was walking towards the shore for her daily dip when she heard a strange noise and, believing someone was in distress, approached a shadowy figure on the beach.

As Ms Dill got closer, she realised it was a baby seal and, after calling for assistance from two passers-by, waited until the was animal back in the ocean and also called BAMZ.

“When I got to the beach, it was quite dark,” Ms Dill told Bernews. “I went down to the shore and heard a funny sound. I thought someone was calling out to me and was in trouble.

“I walked towards the noise and eventually came to a baby seal. At first, I didn’t know what it was. I looked at it; it looked at me. Initially, I thought the seal was hurt.”

“People let their dogs run wild on the beach, so I stayed until I figured out what to do with the seal,” added Ms Dill, who contacted BAMZ. “I was worried the baby seal could have been hurt. I call it my baby seal!

“As we got closer, the seal became violent, showing its teeth and pulling itself quickly towards us. It made a noise like a cat and opened its mouth to show its teeth. We decided not to get too close!”

Local animal experts then monitored the area and were able to rescue the young seal who managed to get somehow very off course to land in Bermuda.

They said, “The staff of the Bermuda Aquarium Museum and Zoo were able to rescue the juvenile seal from Clearwater Beach. The seal has been identified as a male grey seal and is estimated to be under a year old.

“The team at BAMZ have take the seal to their facility, where he is now resting in BAMZ’s quarantine facility and considered in critical but stable condition. Following a full physical examination including a complete panel of blood tests, he was treated with fluids to help with dehydration. It is likely that he has an infection and this will be further assessed with an examination tomorrow morning. We thank the public for their assistance and will keep people updated on his condition and hopefully recovery.”

The last time a seal was found in Bermuda was in 2019, with the seal — eventually named Lou-Seal — spending a month in Bermuda recuperating, leaving via a charter flight to USA, and spending 6 more weeks in care before being released back into the ocean.

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