Latest news with #SarahCallan
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Mystic Aquarium releases rehabilitated seals in Rhode Island
MYSTIC, Conn. (WWLP) – Mystic Aquarium released six gray seals back into their natural habitat in Westerly, Rhode Island, Tuesday morning following weeks of rehabilitation care. Aquarium officials stated that these seals were rescued on Block Island between late March and early April when they were found entangled in fishing gear and marine debris. Mystic Aquarium's animal care professionals gave each gray seal individualized treatment within the Animal Rescue Program across the following six to eight weeks. Second Chance Animal Services seek foster families for pregnant pets Now fully rehabilitated, the seals were brought to Wuskenau Town Beach to be released into the Atlantic Ocean. Mystic Aquarium staff invited staff and volunteers from the Block Island Maritime Institute, as well as New Haven police officers who helped rescue Chappy the seal back in February, to open the kennels and guide the seals into the ocean. 'Releasing these six seals back into their natural habitat in the Atlantic Ocean following nearly two months of rehabilitation is a true testament to Mystic Aquarium's care and compassion for these animals,' said Sarah Callan, Animal Rescue Program Manager at Mystic Aquarium. 'As entanglement cases continue to increase in line with upticks in seal populations, our team cherishes the opportunity to help these animals and strengthen marine ecosystems up and down the East Coast.' To date in 2025, Mystic's Animal Rescue Program has rescued and rehabilitated 24 seals so far. This program costs $600,000 annually, with expenses such as supplies, medications, salt water for rehab pools, transportation, and other essentials. Due to recent funding cuts, only two of the seals released on Wednesday were able to be fitted with satellite tags–the last two in the aquarium's current inventory. To learn more or to donate, visit WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Meet the New England team working to rescue the seals
BLOCK ISLAND, R.I. — The Mystic Aquarium Animal Rescue Team has never been busier. Looking through binoculars, program manager Sarah Callan scanned the shoreline for a growing problem on Block Island, Rhode Island — entangled seals. When fishing gear, garbage or a balloon gets wrapped around a gray seal's neck, it tightens as the marine mammal — which can exceed 800 pounds — grows and can lead to significant injury or death. Twenty entangled gray seals have been reported to the Connecticut-based non-profit so far this year; that is more than what's typically documented by Mystic annually. Callan called the spike 'alarming.' NBC News was given rare access to follow Mystic, working in partnership with the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society and Block Island Maritime Institute, as they set out to disentangle seals born within the last several months. Callan and her colleagues flanked a group of seal pups sunbathing on the water's edge. They army-crawled in an attempt not to spook the herd, before sprinting in with bright red boards to separate the entangled pup and scoop him up with a net in a feat of speed and impeccable timing. Once the pup was contained, the team drew blood, attached a tracker for research and cut him free of the fishing net constricting his neck. 'We're going to be able to just release the seal today and avoid having to bring it into our clinic for rehab,' Callan said, as the team worked. 'The quicker we can get out here to disentangle them, the better.' This is the same team that took in a wayward seal stranded in downtown New Haven, Connecticut, in February. The seal pup won over the internet with his big eyes and sweet cry, and the public even voted on his name, 'Chappy.' Sadly, he didn't make it, succumbing to gastrointestinal issues that were too severe to treat. In a statement posted online, Mystic also said they found pieces of plastic in his stomach, 'highlighting the threat that marine debris, especially plastics, poses to marine animals.' Some estimates suggest plastic pollution kills more than 100,000 marine mammals every year. 'The amount of animals that are interacting with human-made products and debris within the first couple months of their life is a bit alarming,' Callan said, 'and it directly relates to the state of the ocean. … We feel that it's our job to help share that message and educate people on the threats they face.' It's a mounting fight that Mystic isn't giving up on. The team cheered, as the seal they just cut free from netting galumphed (the undulating motion seals use to move on land) back into the ocean. 'You get to give an animal a second chance at life that they normally wouldn't have without our intervention,' Callan said. 'It's such a special moment to see.' This article was originally published on
NBC News
01-05-2025
- General
- NBC News
Meet the New England team working to rescue the seals
BLOCK ISLAND, R.I. — The Mystic Aquarium Animal Rescue Team has never been busier. Looking through binoculars, program manager Sarah Callan scanned the shoreline for a growing problem on Block Island, Rhode Island — entangled seals. When fishing gear, garbage or a balloon gets wrapped around a gray seal's neck, it tightens as the marine mammal — which can exceed 800 pounds — grows and can lead to significant injury or death. Twenty entangled gray seals have been reported to the Connecticut-based non-profit far this year; that is more than what's typically documented by Mystic annually. Callan called the spike 'alarming.' NBC News was given rare access to follow Mystic, working in partnership with the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society and Block Island Maritime Institute, as they set out to disentangle seals born within the last several months. Callan and her colleagues flanked a group of seal pups sunbathing on the water's edge. They army-crawled in an attempt not to spook the herd, before sprinting in with bright red boards to separate the entangled pup and scoop him up with a net in a feat of speed and impeccable timing. Once the pup was contained, the team drew blood, attached a tracker for research and cut him free of the fishing net constricting his neck. 'We're going to be able to just release the seal today and avoid having to bring it into our clinic for rehab,' Callan said, as the team worked. 'The quicker we can get out here to disentangle them, the better.' This is the same team that took in a wayward seal stranded in downtown New Haven, Connecticut, in February. The seal pup won over the internet with his big eyes and sweet cry, and the public even voted on his name, 'Chappy.' Sadly, he didn't make it, succumbing to gastrointestinal issues that were too severe to treat. In a statement posted online, Mystic also said they found pieces of plastic in his stomach, 'highlighting the threat that marine debris, especially plastics, poses to marine animals.' Some estimates suggest plastic pollution kills more than 100,000 marine mammals every year. 'The amount of animals that are interacting with human-made products and debris within the first couple months of their life is a bit alarming,' Callan said, 'and it directly relates to the state of the ocean. … We feel that it's our job to help share that message and educate people on the threats they face.' It's a mounting fight that Mystic isn't giving up on. The team cheered, as the seal they just cut free from netting galumphed (the undulating motion seals use to move on land) back into the ocean. 'You get to give an animal a second chance at life that they normally wouldn't have without our intervention,' Callan said. 'It's such a special moment to see.'
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
22 sea turtles rescued from frigid Cape Cod waters released back into the ocean
Almost two dozen sea turtles that washed up on Cape Cod are swimming ocean waters once again after an intense rehabilitation and relocation mission. The cold-stunned sea turtles washed up on the beach in Cape Cod earlier this winter and were first triaged by the New England Aquarium before being transferred to Mystic Aquarium's Animal Rescue Program for long-term rehabilitation care. The turtles then undertook a 20-hour trip from Connecticut to Georgia on Wednesday, where they were released on Jekyll Island. Among the rescued turtles were 14 green sea turtles, six loggerhead sea turtles and two Kemp's ridley sea turtles, a critically endangered species. Sea turtles cannot regulate their body temperatures, aquarium officials told Boston 25 News. Because they cannot regulate their body temperatures, turtles become trapped in Cape Cod Bay each year when the waters turn frigid. Each turtle received an individualized treatment plan to address infections and other medical issues that ensued following their exposure to the cold. 'Our role is to give these sea turtles a second chance at life, improve their chances of long-term survival, and create potential for future hatchlings and growth of the species,' said Sarah Callan, Animal Rescue Program Manager at Mystic Aquarium. 'In their natural habitat, sea turtles face threats of entanglement, ingestion of plastic debris, habitat loss, and a changing ocean environment. With that in mind, a focus of the Animal Rescue Program is being a voice for these animals and providing outreach to the public, knowing that our ultimate goal is the long-term health and sustainability of sea turtle species and marine ecosystems globally.' Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
