Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
Weeks-old seal reportedly turns up on New Haven streets, twice
“It definitely was concerning for us when we say he was amidst all that hustle and bustle of the city.”
A weeks-old seal is being treated at the Mystic Aquarium after it was found, twice, wandering the streets of New Haven over the weekend.
The young gray seal was first found on Grill and South Water Street, near Shell & Bones Oyster Bar, on Saturday, WTNH reports. The seal was relocated to a beach by Mystic Aquarium rescuers, but the next day, it was found on Chapel Street near East Street.
“It definitely was concerning for us when we say he was amidst all that hustle and bustle of the city,” Mystic Aquarium animal rescue technician Francesca Battaglia told WTNH.
Advertisement:
New Haven Police’s Christian Bruckhart told NBC Connecticut that the department’s officers thought it was a prank when the call came in.
“I checked with one of our bosses, who’s been here for like 25 years, and then asked him, you know, ‘If you’d ever heard of this before?’” Bruckhart said. “So you know, we’ve gotten bears, turkeys, foxes, coyotes, but I think this is the first seal that anyone working here has heard of. So we figured he was here for the clam pizza, but we’re not sure.”
The seal had been spotted in Branford last week, Battaglia told WTNH.
Advertisement:
She told NBC Connecticut seals typically don’t go that far into a city when they’re driven away from the beach by the weather or larger seals. The young seal was likely following his instincts only to become disoriented and realize he was “just totally out of his element and lost,” she said.
“He is on his own now, and he’s just trying to figure it out. But he’s a young animal,” Battaglia told NBC Connecticut. “And so sometimes those first few weeks without mom can be a little tough on these guys.”
The seal, which was slightly underweight, was taken back to Mystic Aquarium for care and rehabilitation before rescuers attempt releasing him back into the ocean, according to the station.
“We want him to be able to hunt on his own and catch what he needs to support himself,” Battaglia told WTNH.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com