seals the deal

Such an exciting week! First and foremost, we got a seal!! The call came midday on wednesday and I was scheduled to work 4 to midnight. It didn't arrive in the rescue truck until around 11:30 but as soon as he arrived the vet performed the exam, weighed him, and took fecal and blood samples. His temperature was only 95 when he came in so we administered some warm subcutaneous fluids and stuck a heating pad in his bin with him. Rehabilitating a seal is completely different than an otter. Since otters can't be returned to the wild and have to go to a zoo/aquarium we are encouraged to talk to them, play with them, and get them used to human interactions. Seals, on the other hand, should not have any positive interactions with humans, they have to remain wild so they can be released. So our interactions with them are brief and concise. We tube feed them instead of suckling them so they don't get attached to us, and we are not allowed to talk to them or near them. Now that the seal has arrived we are back on full quarantine. if you are on seal shift you work only with the seal, same goes with otter shifts for otters. There can be no cross contamination of laundry, dishes or anything else. In order to enter the main part of the building you have to shower and completely change your clothes. Any time you work with the seal you wear full rubber suits and gloves then have to scrub yourself with chlorhexadine after completing a task.
 I have learned to restrain the seal for tubes and have assisted in sub-Q fluids. In a few short weeks I will be trained to do both of these things as the rehab center gets more crowded with animals. There is something so breath taking about being so close to such a beautiful animal. Those huge black eyes seem to stare directly into your soul.

This is not our seal, as we are not allowed to take pictures. but you get the idea.

As the seal pups progress in their rehabilitation (ours was about a week old when we picked it up) they have to gradually progress from formula to hunting fish. Seals are usually successful at learning to catch fish on their own by instinct. Right now, our little seal is on a mix of formula and oralyte just to make sure he is fully hydrated.

So apparently it rains a lot in Seward, which I still don't believe because it has been sunny and warm pretty much the whole two weeks I have been here. Monday and Tuesday are my new weekend and this week me and my roommates Katie and Maggie went out to dinner and had some wine down by the beach. We saw some dhalls porpoises in the water and an eagle flying over head. 

Thursday we went kayaking! Sunny cove kayaking offered us a free 3 hour kayak trip for working at the sealife center. It was a perfect day for it. The sun was shining and it was relatively warm out. It was the most amazing feeling to be on the ocean with snow-capped mountains to our left and uncharted expanse of forest and trees to our right. We came out of the water to do a short hike. It was an absolutely gorgeous view and I could have stared at it for literally hours. The sky was blue with a spattering of clouds and there was a 3rd year juvenile bald eagle circling our heads. It is seriously the most beautiful place, and I don't think I could ever get used to or bored of the mountain views. 

From the left: Maggie, Me, Katie, and her boyfriend John

Mountain bliss