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Oregon Coast Seal, Octopus Get New Lease on Life |
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Covering 180 miles of Oregon coast travel: Astoria, Seaside, Cannon Beach, Manzanita, Nehalem, Wheeler, Rockaway, Garibaldi, Tillamook, Oceanside, Pacific City, Lincoln City, Depoe Bay, Newport, Waldport, Yachats & Florence.
02/28/08
Secrets of the Season |
Oregon Coast Seal, Octopus Get New Lease on Life
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| Fur seal that was sent to San Diego Aquarium last week |
(Newport, Oregon) – One was rescued and the other would think of its new situation as a rescue – if it could think.
Friday, the Oregon Coast Aquarium sent off a rescued seal to new digs in San Diego, while in the middle of March, the Hatfield Marine Science Center will let loose its octopus back into the wild for a bit of mating fun before its lifespan ends.
At the famed Oregon Coast Aquarium, a rescued Guadalupe fur seal that has been in rehabilitation at the Oregon Coast Aquarium was moved to her new home at Sea World in San Diego. When the seal was brought to the Aquarium last August, the goal of husbandry staff was to rehabilitate and release her.
She
was brought in with a healed scar on her back that husbandry staff speculated
might be a shark bite. She also had a prolapsed lens (no vision) in on
eye and a very large cataract in her good eye, indicating poor vision.
By the end of August the seal showed signs of improvement.
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| Underwater fun at Oregon Coast Aquarium |
Guadalupe fur seals are protected in the U.S. as a threatened species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, and it is the policy to make every effort to return threatened species to their habitat if the animal demonstrates the ability to survive on its own. This animal failed to do so and the decision was made not to release her. The National Marine Fisheries Service was the ultimate decision maker on her fate, based upon reports of her condition by husbandry staff.
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Judy Tuttle, Aquarium Curator of Mammals, said the seal flew down on a FedEx flight accompanied by two SeaWorld staff who arrived in Newport recently familiarize themselves with her.
“She obviously feels much better now and she vocalizes a lot,” said Tuttle. “She appears to enjoy interacting with mammal staff.”
Tuttle said she will live in warmer waters of her natural habitat and will be well cared for by Sea World staff.
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| Science vessel docked at the Hatfield |
In October, Veterinarian Dr. Sara Maxwell, consultant to veterinarian Dr. Brown, looked at the seal’s cataract and determined that she was not a candidate for cataract surgery or for release in her opinion. A broken canine tooth was removed in November and the seal was again evaluated for its ability to be released. At that time, an examination by Dr. Brown determined that she had no teeth in her lower right jaw, and the appearance of her teeth indicated that she is an old animal.
By November, Aquarium husbandry staff recommended to the National Marine Fisheries Service that the Guadalupe fur seal not be released and talks began with Sea World in San Diego about transferring her there. Since she would not be released back into the wild, human imprinting would no longer be a concern, so mammalogists began to train her to come to a station to be fed. She will live the rest of her days with other fur seals and California sea lions in her new home. The cost of caring for the seal was covered in part by the National Marine Fisheries Service and grants from the Kinsman Foundation and the Hugh and Jane Ferguson Foundation.
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“We are proud to use our expertise to mitigate human impact on injured wildlife and to help in the recovery of endangered or threatened wildlife,” said Jim Burke, Aquarium Director of Animal Husbandry. “This Guadalupe Fur seal is one of an estimated population of about 700 and we were happy to play a role in the efforts to get her back to the wild.” Burke said that although the seal cannot be released, she will play an important role in helping to educate people about the uniqueness of her species. Oregon Coast Aquarium. 2820 SE Ferry Slip Road. Newport, Oregon. (541) 867-3474. www.aquarium.org.
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| Southern end of Yaquina Bay |
At the Hatfield, it’s time to say goodbye to Jimmie, their Giant Pacific octopus on March 11. Hatfield staff will release the little – or not so little – gal at 9:30 a.m. on that Tuesday.
“Giant Pacific octopus have a finite life span of about a year,” said education specialist Bill Hanshumaker. “We seldom keep any octopus longer than nine months, and release them for reproduction.”
The
giant pacific octopus dies shortly after reproducing – so this is
one heck of a last hurrah.
“We will be transporting her to the Yaquina Bay South Jetty at 9:30 to take advantage of the low tide,” Hanshumaker said. “Join us in the Visitor Center at 9 to see us entice her into a transfer container, then follow us to the third finger of the jetty to say your final farewell.”
After subjecting the octopus tank to a through cleaning, the aquarists will be installing their new octopus, "Hodges," named in honor of a longtime Hatfield volunteer, Sara Hodges. Hatfield Marine Science Center, 2030 Marine Science Dr., Newport, Oregon. Admission by suggested donation. 541-867-0100. http://hmsc.oregonstate.edu
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