Our thanks to the Jessie and the crewmen of the USCG Dorado, moored in Crescent City, California for calling the center this morning to report a small, abandoned, barely moving little grey seal. Under observation by the crewmembers during the morning hours, the pup had not moved and no mother Pacific Harbor Seal was seen nearby nor attempting to reach or care for it.
After assessing the little pup NMMC personnel decided to at least relocate him away from the gunwale of the USCG Auxiliary’s ‘on-call’ 29 foot Search and Rescue boat. He had chosen the USCG’s emergency jet dock as his home! After determining his weight to be low, he was taken to the Northcoast Marine Mammal Center by a volunteer and admitted with a rehabilitation feeding program to begin immediately.
Hospital staff think it is possible that little “Harper” was born last night on the jet dock and the mother, finding herself in a more trafficked area than she initially thought she was in abandoned him. He is a newborn. The birthing event was simply not noticed by the USCG crew because darkness hid him until the daylight sun made recognition of his position easy.
Please see the following photos for Harpers position on the jet dock prior to rescue and his new home at the NMMC!!
