Seal Found On Middletown Beach Died At Stranding Center

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — A harp seal found on the beach in Middletown Feb. 19 died, the Marine Mammal Stranding Center announced on their Facebook page Thursday.

The seal had been rehabilitating at the marine mammal rescue center in Brigantine.

"This seal was originally admitted to our hospital on February 19 after being observed consuming sand on the beach," said the group. "As an animal that is found on the ice packs for most of their lives, Harp seals often consume snow and ice for fresh water. Sick and dehydrated Harp seals may start eating sand when hauled out on the beach, confusing it for snow, putting them in danger of gastric impaction.""

The group said he "responded well to treatment to flush the substrate out of his system, and returned to having a normal fecal output for the past several weeks. He continued to do well in the hospital, very active and eating normally."

In fact, the group was preparing to release him back into the wild.

"His pre-release veterinary examination and bloodwork showed no abnormalities," they said. "Unfortunately, on the morning of March 19, the staff found the Harp seal to be extremely lethargic. This was a stark contrast to his behavior only ten hours prior during final hospital rounds the night before ... Despite their best efforts, the seal’s condition continued to decline rapidly throughout the day. By early afternoon, the Harp seal was extremely listless and not moving, only tracking activity around him with his eyes. Given the acute onset and rapid decline of his condition, our veterinary team concluded that the kindest thing to do would be humane euthanasia to prevent his continued prolonged suffering. A full necropsy will be performed to provide insight into what may have caused his sudden rapid decline."