A harbor seal from Maine is being treated at Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut after he was found entangled in fishing line last week.
The seal, which is less than a year old, showed up on a private dock in Southport’s Christmas Cove with monofilament line wrapped around his neck, causing a wound that had gotten infected.
The line was not embedded, but because the seal is still growing, it would have continued to tighten around his neck if it hadn’t been cut off, said Dominique Walk of Marine Mammals of Maine, which responded to the report of the stranded seal.
The seal also was suffering from a respiratory infection, possibly as a result of stress from being entangled, she said.
Because the seal was not well enough to travel hours to a rehabilitation clinic right away, Marine Mammals of Maine treated him with antibiotics at its Harspwell facility.
A couple of days later, he was taken to Connecticut, where he is receiving long-term care. Once he recovers, he will be released in the ocean there, Walk said.
She said harbor seals are solitary animals that don’t travel with a pack.
Walk said Marine Mammals of Maine doesn’t name animals in critical condition, but if he fully recovers, he will be given a name in Connecticut before he’s released.
“He still has a long ways to go,” she said.
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