By Matthew Enuco | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
The baby Grey seal rescued from the Ocean City streets on February 7 has died, according to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine.
In a Facebook post, the center said that the baby seal was being treated for parasites and was struggling to eat. The center also said it was assist-feeding the pupfish and other nutrients to nurse the seal back to health.
“We were hopeful when the pup began showing more interest in food last week, even starting to eat smaller fish on his own in recent days,” the center said in the post. “However, on the evening of February 19th the pup showed a very sudden and rapid decline, and despite the extraordinary efforts by our staff to resuscitate him, the pup passed away only a few minutes later.”
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Director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center Sheila Dean told NJ Advance Media when the pup was found it was severely underweight.
The Facebook post on Tuesday said the pup was being treated for parasites and likely suffering from a respiratory infection.
Sheila Dean, Director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, said Tuesday the pup found in Ocean City is one of the few that have died after being rescued by the Marine Mammal Stranding Center. Dean said seal strandings are not uncommon along the New Jersey coast and that the center averages between 40 and 50 seal rescues per year, although many of the seals are found dead.
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