Volunteers from the Marine Education, Research and Rehabilitation Institute were called to assist a small, female gray seal pup in South Bethany on March 17, and after identifying serious wounds, they brought the pup to nearby Whaleyville Animal Hospital for treatment. On March 19, the injured pup was transferred to the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine, N.J., for further treatment.

“She was looking good at first, but she had a significant wound on her mouth and was starting to go downhill a bit,” said MERR Executive Director Suzanne Thurman. She estimated the seal’s age to be about 2 months.

Thurman said the rescue went smoothly, and the volunteers took the pup to Whaleyville to receive fluids. “She proved to be a feisty little seal,” Thurman said. MERR treated her wound, and sent her on to the stranding center. She has been named Banshee, since she stranded on St. Patrick's Day and did quite a bit of loud complaining.

For future updates, check the stranding center’s site at https://mmsc.org. MERR is dedicated to the conservation of marine mammals and sea turtles and their habitat. MERR provides stranding response for marine animals that occur throughout the state of Delaware. To report a stranding, call 302-228-5029.