For a grey seal mom, love is blind at Brookfield Zoo

Georgie the grey seal is a new mom, giving birth to a 35-pound male pup last week at the Brookfield Zoo. 

The zoo said it is 11-year-old Georgie's first pup since she arrived in 2020. 

Georgie was found stranded on an island in Maine in 2013, and her rescuers soon determined she was blind and could not be re-released into the wild. 

"Even with her loss of vision, Georgie is being a very attentive mother to her pup," said Mark Gonka, associate director of marine mammal care and conservation. "Grey seals have a keen sense of smell as well as a repertoire of vocalizations. Georgie is able to locate her pup by his distinct smell and call."  

Dad is 23-year-old Kiinaq (pronounced KEY-knack). He was also stranded in the wild and deemed unreleasable when he was only a few months old. According to zoo officials, since arriving at Brookfield Zoo in 2018, he has sired three pups.

The pup will remain behind the scenes for about six months with his mom while he develops his swim skills.   

In his first week, the pup has gained 15 pounds. A grey seal mother's milk is extremely rich in fat, and it is not unusual for the pup to gain several pounds daily.

 While nursing for the next few weeks, he can easily gain about 100 pounds, developing a thick layer of blubber. 

Once weaned, he will be introduced to a fish diet. Seal pups are born with fur that will shed over the next several months.