Gray seal pup found tangled in plastic recovering at New Jersey's Marine Mammal Stranding Center
BEACH HAVEN, N.J. (CBS) -- A seal pup found snagged in plastic along the Jersey Shore is now recovering at a local animal rescue.
The Marine Mammal Stranding Center, a rescue and rehabilitation center in Brigantine, posted on Facebook that last week they got a call about a seal found wrapped in plastic in Beach Haven. The female gray seal was entangled in the plastic wrap from a case of water bottles, but luckily the center said it hadn't cut into the seal's skin.
The pup was "thin... lethargic and suffering from gastrointestinal issues" upon intake, the center said. After being treated by MMSC's veterinary staff, the seal pup is "currently resting comfortably" at the center.
According to the MMSC, the annual gray seal migration is in full swing in New Jersey. The pups are born in December through February, and nurse for about only two weeks before being weaned by their mothers.
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"Many pups are now making the long swim from their birthing grounds in New England and Canadian waters to New Jersey. Along the way these recently weaned pups are learning to hunt for their food on their own and evade predators. By the time they reach our beaches, they need their rest, and some pups who have not fared as well as the others on their journey, need MMSC's help," the organization wrote on social media.
Gray seals are the second most common seal found in New Jersey waters, and most stranded gray seals in the state are younger than 2 years old, according to MMSC. As adults can weigh between 400-800 pounds.
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