Sub-Antarctic Fur Seal finds a home at Taronga

Sub-Antarctic Fur Seal finds a home at Taronga

A rare Sub-Antarctic Fur Seal brought to Taronga near


death has been saved by veterinary staff to join other seals in Taronga’s care.



The young male was discovered lying under bushes


behind Coniston Beach, near Wollongong. It was exceptionally malnourished,


emaciated and unable to move.



National Parks and Wildlife Service Officers kept a


close eye on the seal, however it had taken refuge at an off-leash dog park and


in such poor health it could easily have been attacked. In urgent need of


expert medical attention and a safe haven, the Sub-Antarctic Fur Seal was


bought to Taronga’s Wildlife Hospital on 2 June.  



Upon arrival at the Zoo, Taronga’s veterinary team and


wildlife staff did not hold much hope for the youngster, which is thought to be


approximately 18 months old.



Taronga’s Wildlife Hospital Manager, Libby Hall, said:


“His bones were showing and he weighed just 10 kilograms. He should have been


at least another 15 kilograms heavier. He didn’t even have the energy to lift


his head. He was very, very sick.”  



A thorough medical inspection found no obvious


injuries and the Zoo’s medical team worked on warming him up, rehydrating him


and slowly introducing him to food, starting with intravenous fluids and then


progressing to a ‘fish slurry’ which is easily digestible, before introducing


solid foods to his diet.



“Sometimes we


do wish they could talk. We’re not sure what made him so sick, but he was a


long way from home. Australia’s closest colony of these seals is on Macquarie


Island, about 2000 kilometres away.”



“We have had Sub-Antarctic Fur Seals wash up before


and it usually coincides with severe weather patterns. There have been huge


storms across the Antarctic region recently and we’re pretty sure this young


one got caught in the currents and didn’t have the body condition to put


himself back on track, literally getting swept along,” said Libby.



Under an Australian and Antarctic wildlife agreement,


animals washed ashore cannot be returned to the wild in case they introduce


foreign diseases to the natural populations, endangering the entire eco-system,


so the young seal has found a permanent home at Taronga’s Great Southern Oceans


exhibit.   



After just a few weeks at Great Southern Oceans, the


seal which the keeper’s have named ‘Franklin’ after the Franklin Island in Antarctica,


is thriving.



Franklin has been assigned a trainer, Brad McKenzie,


who is teaching him his ‘seal manners’ and has introduced him to New Zealand


Fur Seals, ‘Mav’ and ‘Ronnie’ ,which was the most recent seal to be


rehabilitated by Taronga after being attacked by a shark in 2008.



“Franklin is a great little seal and fitting in really


well, he’s definitely got some attitude and making the most of his second


chance at life. At the moment he is sorting out the pecking order with the


boys, but it’s wonderful to be able to give him a home,” said Brad.



Taronga has a long history of treating and


rehabilitating marine wildlife including penguins, pelicans and Leopard Seals. Taronga also hosts the


Australian Marine Mammal Research Centre which conducts annual research in


Antarctica monitoring and recording changes to marine populations.