VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WVEC) -- A young male harbor seal found on a beach in Deal, N.J. on Valentine's Day with lacerations on his neck and puncture wounds on its back was transported Wednesday to its new, permanent home at the Virginia Aquarium & Marine Science Center.
Staff from the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine, N.J. had treated the seal and have cared for it.
"We are so happy to give this little seal a home," said Rachel Metz, Director of Live Exhibits at the Virginia Aquarium. "When we learned about his story, we knew that we had the facilities and room to help him, and that he would be an excellent ambassador for the work that our conservation department and stranding team does daily. As you may know, one of our elderly seals passed away this spring, and this new addition to our seal family will bring added enrichment to our existing four seals."
The seal's injuries have resulted in it having partial paralysis of its rear flipper, making it nearly impossible to survive back in the wild.
He joins the Aquarium's four other male harbor seals - Peter, Piper, Norton and Hector.
The Aquarium is looking forward to hosting a "Welcome Home Party" for the new seal, as soon as it has cleared quarantine. There will also be a naming contest for the seal, with more details announced in the coming weeks.
