Ernie's story... During the last week of July, a baby Harbour Seal followed the Ocean Ed group home from a canoe excursion in Pedder Bay. Over the next seven days, the seal, now nicknamed "Ernie" by the group, turned up in the Pearson College Marina on an almost daily basis. Small, and underweight, it was starting to look like Ernie was motherless.

It is not uncommon to find young seals alone, as the mother will disappear for hours at a time to search for food. The young pups are, however, completely dependent on the nutrient rich milk from the mom for the first several weeks of their lives. Separated from the mother, these small animals are also prey for a number of larger species including transient Orca whales.

"Ernie" was kept in a large plastic container until the travel arrangements could be sorted out. Within an hour of the seal's capture, Ernie was being chauffered to Swartz Bay and en route to Salt Spring Island's seal sanctuary. Ernie's first examination by clinicians revealed that he weighed just 5 kilograms, one third of normal weight. Ernie, it was also discovered, was female.

"Ernie" also known as "Lucy" is doing well at the rescue clinic on Salt Spring. Here, she is in the hands of Julia, one of the clinicians.

Thanks to their donations, Ernie/Lucy has been officially adopted by the Ocean Ed group of 2010. Seals are cared for until they reach an optimum weight and are then released back to the sea, usually within 2 - 3 months. If you would like to donate to the seal rescue program, or know of someone who would like to donate, contributions can be made by visiting the web site at:

sealrescue.org

and click on the "Donate Now" icon.

or send donations directly to: