Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium Mourns Loss Of Northern Elephant Seal

PITTSBURGH, PA — The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium has lost one of its most unique animals. Zoo officials have announced that Ellie Mae, a northern elephant seal, has died.

The zoo took Ellie Mae into its Water's Edge habitat to give her a safe home after she was found beached and malnourished in California in 2017. Veterinarians there determined that the seal was unable to hunt in the wild.

Ellie Mae was one of only two northern elephant seals under human care. The zoo’s husbandry and animal health teams offered the highest quality care during her years there, but her preexisting conditions left her in a compromised state.

"Ellie Mae would not have survived her initial setbacks in the wild without human intervention," a zoo social media post stated. "The zoo is honored to have given Ellie Mae a second chance."

According to the zoo, the northern elephant seal is the world's second-largest seal and gets its name from its enormous size and the male’s large, inflatable snout appendage.

They were once thought to be extinct due to hunting. Protective measures were taken the population currently stands at approximately 160,000.