Rescue center releases 5 rehabilitated seals near Vancouver

It was a special day for five rescued harbor seals and the people who helped prepare them for their return to life in the wild.

CTV News Vancouver went along for the ride as the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Society freed the animals just south of Bowen Island Thursday morning.

“They came to us last summer in July and have been through the entire rehabilitation process with us for the past three months, and today is the big day for them,” said Lindsaye Akhurst, Senior Manager of the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Society.

The seals were rescued when young pups were separated from their mothers. It took them two to three months to gain weight and learn to survive in nature.

Watching the marine mammals make their first leap into the open ocean was an important milestone for the volunteers, who spent hours interacting with the seals.

“I think the most fun part is helping with the rehabilitation process and just seeing them come in, and seeing them being released, back to their home, into the wild – it’s really very satisfying and exciting,” says volunteer Linda Clarke. Harter told CTV News aboard the boat that released the seals.

The Port of Vancouver supported the release of the seals by providing a boat and crew.

“The Port Authority has a variety of different environmental programs when it comes to reducing and mitigating the impacts of commercial shipping on marine mammals and the environment in general,” said Andrea MacLeod, director of environment at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority.

“We greatly applaud organizations like the Marine Mammal Rescue Center that are helping to restore wildlife populations,” she added. “Our role today, in addition to providing the boat and crew to come out and do the release, we also – in the summer – provided approximately $30,000 in funding through our community investment fund to the rescue centre. We also provide port land in kind to the sanctuary to house the seals.”

Although seals are often seen as social and friendly – ​​and they generally are when they are close to shore – they often keep to themselves in the open ocean. Despite being released in the same area, the animals released Thursday are expected to go their separate ways.

If you’d like to help, the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Society is a registered charity that accepts donations. There are also volunteer opportunities.