Wake up at 6:15 am. Take a quick shower. A brief jump on the scale to see how much that seafood dinner you had last night is going to affect you. Take a ride in a van heading to the ferry you’re trying to catch. Gas prices are high, so why not car pool? Travel the 1 hour and 20 minute drive, with plenty of time to catch the ferry, because you definitely don’t want to miss the boat. Ride the waves, safe and dry on the ferry, and maybe even take a quick nap as the rock and the pitch of the waves puts you to sleep. The island is a good 45 minutes to an hour offshore, depending on the seas. That is plenty of time to take a nap! Get to the Island and say “Hi” to a few folks. They’re excited to meet you, and may want to take a picture or two. Once the photos are taken and the introductions made, you head out on the boat again. Just a quick ride this time, because the waves are getting a little larger. There are some friends, maybe even some relatives, taking a swim cooling off from the warm sun. Don’t want to miss out on the fun, so you decide to take a dip too.
Duck Island- Harbor and Grey Seal Colony
Sounds like a pretty nice day, doesn’t it? This is exactly what three of our seals did this past Tuesday, August 16th. Nell (#25), Jenna (#28), and Mouth (#30) made the trip out to the Shoals Marine Laboratory for a private boat release. This was a special release for these seals. Mouth was released earlier this summer, but had some difficulty adjusting to life as a wild seal. He hauled back out on a busy beach several times and was brought back to MARC for a few extra weeks of rehab and socialization with other seals. The Staff at MARC thought that Mouth would have a better chance if he was released a bit further out to sea. Duck Island is a quick boat ride away from the Shoals Laboratories and is also the home to a good sized Harbor and Grey seal population. It was the perfect place to release Mouth and his friends.
Thanks to all of the Staff at SML for all of their help and hospitality.
Nell, Jenna, and Mouth- Just before the trip
Waiting for the boat
Shoals Staff helping Mouth and his friends get out of their kennels
Nell, as he swims away
Once the animals were released they swam off and began to explore their new home.