A New England Aquarium Northern fur seal died after swallowing toy
Commander is fed squid by Mayor Marty Walsh on April 6, 2015, at the New England Aquarium.
Commander, the Northern fur seal that charmed New England Aquarium visitors since his arrival in 2015, unexpectedly passed away earlier this year, the aquarium announced in a statement Monday.
The aquarium said it informed its community of the death in April. The seal’s death was first reported by Boston Magazine on Monday.
The aquarium stated Commander had accidentally swallowed an enrichment toy he had played with for months before the incident.
“Our team performed several medical procedures over the next two days,” the aquarium said in the statement, “but despite all efforts, Commander passed away from complications of the object’s location in his gastrointestinal tract.”
The 13-year-old seal arrived to the aquarium in February 2015 and joined the exhibit in April 2015, after he was greeted by Boston Mayor Marty Walsh.
Commander traveled on a FedEx flight from Seattle as a part of a cooperative breeding program to increase the number of Northern fur seals in American zoos and aquariums, the aquarium said on its website.
The 500-pound seal was one of nine Northern fur seals in captivity in the U.S., five of which are at the New England Aquarium, according to the aquarium.
The aquarium said this is the first seal or sea lion death caused by ingestion of a foreign object that they have experienced in nearly 50 years of caring for these animals.
Aquarium staff routinely evaluate enrichment toys for safety, looking at size, wear and tear, and how each animal plays with them, according to the statement. The aquarium said they will continue to do so.
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