A newborn harbor seal pup rescued from the Sands Atlantic Beach is now recuperating in the care of the Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation.
The two and a half foot female seal, less than a week old, was reported found by beachgoers Saturday morning with its umbilical cord attached, Newsday reported. People had been pouring water on and crowding her, Kimberly Durham of the Riverhead Foundation told the paper, which could have prevented the pup’s mom from retrieving her. The seal was lethargic and dehydrated when rescuers arrived.
Durham said the pup did not appear to be abandoned, since she was plump and appeared to have been nursing.
The pup has been brought back to the Riverhead Foundation’s headquarters, where it is now in an isolation ward and being fed formula every three hours. Rescuers have named her Penny. They hope to eventually release her back into the wild.
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