The harbor seal, who was found shot in the head, died after months of intensive care, according to a Des Moines rescue team.
DES MOINES, Wash. — A harbor seal, who had been shot in the head and underwent months of intensive rehabilitation, has died, according to her rescuers.
The seal, named “Eggs Benedict” or “Benny” for short, was found on a dock near Quilcene Bay on Hood Canal in February by the Center Valley Animal Rescue. She was taken in by the nonprofit SeaLife Response, Rehabilitation and Research (SR3) in Des Moines.
SR3 scientists discovered Benny had been shot in the head and was malnourished. For several months, she received treatment for her wounds, but in recent weeks, her behavior and appetite fluctuated, rescuers said.
On May 22, veterinarian Dr. Christine Parker-Graham found an abscess under Benny’s molars and the team began planning for a surgery to remove her tooth.
SR3 rescuers said Benny died quickly. A necropsy by Dr. Meg Baker revealed that while Benny’s head fractures were healing, the tissue around the fractures was infected.
“The most significant finding included a severe sinus infection with surrounding affected bone,” Baker said. The projectile found in Benny’s head was collected and will be sent to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s law enforcement division.
SeaLife said they have dealt with other marine animals with similar injuries, including a juvenile harbor seal who had projectiles in his skull and rear flippers.
“We also perform necropsies each year on deceased sea lions who wash ashore, and find that their cause of death is often from bullets, pellets, or other projectiles as well,” the nonprofit said. “This violence is likely due to inaccurate information that these animals are eating all of the salmon in the area. Seals and sea lions eat over sixty species of sea creatures, yet they are scapegoated for the decline of salmon, an issue far more accurately tied to complex causes such as habitat destruction, overfishing, toxins, and warming rivers.”
The discovery of a bullet wound prompted an animal cruelty investigation by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
If you witness someone harassing or disturbing marine mammals, please call the NOAA Fisheries Enforcement Hotline at 1-800-853-1964.
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