(Photo by Robin Lindsey)
Five months ago, Sandy the harbor seal was rescued from a West Seattle beach, dehydrated and emaciated, and eventually taken to PAWS for rehab. Tonight, as the Seal Sitters‘ “blubberblog” reports, Sandy has been returned to the wild, and she is the first seal in her age range – “older rehabilitated weaned yearling” – to be tracked by satellite! Get the full story, including video of Sandy being fitted with her “hat,” by going here.
I’m going to grab a remote control unit and see if I can make her go !
Sorry for such a delay in responding to the concerns that the tag is “cruel”. With shot sea lions and Arctic ribbon seal sightings, it has been a bit crazy for Seal Sitters.
The tag is “glued” onto Sandy’s pelt. When she sheds her fur during molting season in a few months, the tag will fall off (possibly even before then). The data provided by this study will give researchers new insight into foraging behavior, lengths travelled by weaned pups and health and mortality data. This will help protect other pups in the future.
On a personal note, it is going to be amazing to follow Sandy’s progress in the wild and we’ll see if she returns to West Seattle!
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