Meringue
Harbor Seal
Phoca vitulina
Harbor seal pup Meringue was spotted alone, but because there were adult seals nearby, our expert responders determined the best course of action was to wait and see if his mother would return, as harbor seal mothers often do.
Unfortunately, Meringue was picked up the next day by a well-meaning beachgoer who had likely mistaken him for an orphan. Luckily the pup was soon brought to our hospital for care.
Upon admit, Meringue was sporting a fluffy lanugo coat, which is normally shed before birth, and was very skinny—clear signs he was a premature pup that was just days old.
At first, Meringue was gently tube-fed a special milk formula, but it wasn’t long before he was attending lessons in fish school where he learned how to catch and eat whole fish. Meringue ate like a champion and after nearly three months of care, he was ready to be released back to the wild.
- Age at Admit
- Pup
- Weight at Admit
- 8.60 kgs
- Sex
- Male
- Rescue Location
- Pirate's Cove - Avila Beach, San Luis Obispo
- Diagnosis
- Malnutrition, Maternal separation
- Admitted
- 02/22/2021
- Status
- Released
- Release Date
- 05/13/2021
- Release Location
- Chimney Rock
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Yes, I want to save a life!
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