In 2008 we re-built our seal habitat and began providing a permanent home for two non-releasable harbor seals. The female (LuSeal) stranded on a Cape Cod Bay beach in 2002 when she was just a month old. A “failure to thrive” pup, LuSeal was unable to feed herself and had numerous infections. Nursed to back to health, LuSeal was tagged and released – and she quickly stranded again. When it was clear that she was unable to live in the wild, LuSeal came to the WHSA, where she has thrived.

Our newest seal is called Bumper. Bumper is a male harbor seal, born in June of 2007. At about 2 months of age, Bumper, just barely on his own in the world, was attacked by a shark. We are not sure what type of shark attacked Bumper, but his hind flippers and tail were badly damaged, and his belly and chest were punctured. Because of the attack, Bumper stranded himself on a beach in South Hampton, NY. He was likely on the beach for some time before he was found and rescued. Luckily, his wounds healed very nicely and he has full function of all his flippers. Unfortunately, however, Bumper cannot be released into the wild because he is blind. The veterinarians are not exactly sure what caused Bumper to go blind, but it is likely related to his attack - perhaps the infections he suffered or trauma. Despite his disability, Bumper is thriving at the aquarium. He's a smart little guy with a huge personality. You can often see Bumper playing in the exhibit with his toys or chasing Luseal around the pool.