The Outcome Could Have Been Very Different for This Spicey Jalapeno

This seemingly happy animal was my first seal rescue when I worked with a Virginia aquarium and science center stranding team a few years ago to rescue marine animals.  He was a juvenile Harbor Seal discovered rolling helplessly in the surf.  By the time his almost lifeless body was discovered, the typical juvenile stamina and energy seals possess had drained from him. 

Harbor Seals frequent these shores in Hampton Roads, and occasionally will pop onto the beach to rest.  But clearly, this limp incapacitated seal was no local visitor, merely there for a short nap.  And typically Harbor Seal rescuees are not the docile adorable creatures they appear, with large innocent puppy dog eyes.  They’re cranky and feisty and ready to bite whatever gets anywhere near their mouths.  Consequently, the marine scientists and biologists I worked with had developed a great sense of humor to keep us from feeling as depressed and alarmed as the animals we rescued and came up with names fitting their feisty personalities.  

This one was therefore dubbed Jalapeno, to match what we hoped would be the permanent return of a fiery hot temper, proving his will to fight to live was strong.  How feisty and cranky rescues are is usually an indicator of how much they want to live I was taught, so therefore the crankier ones usually have a better chance of surviving. 

But Jalapeno wasn’t feisty at all when we first lugged his heavy body out of the surf and gently placed him into the ice we’d brought to cool his overburdened and overheated body down quickly.

Despite his ice bath during his 30 minute car trip, his temperature was still dangerously high when we officially checked it back at the aquarium.  His radiographs revealed he’d ingested a lot of sand presumably rolling over and over in the surf, unable to navigate or control his mouth, his breathing, or his lethargic body any longer.

The scientists determined there was about a 50/50 chance his lungs were clear enough for him to survive.  That meant, a decision had to be made whether he should be euthanized to save him further suffering, or if he was healthy enough that he should at least be given a chance for his beaten up body to heal itself. 

Many of the seals we rescued had bite marks from land animals-like rabid raccoons, so it was paramount that we examine him thoroughly.  And most important that in the process we weren’t bitten by the seals, lest they had rabies and thus infect us.  The only way to find out if an animal is rabid in time to save who or whatever it’s bitten is to remove his brain and examine it for rabies.  Which negated the very purpose of our mission to rescue, rehabilitate and release. 

Jalapeno had no such bite marks and no obvious injuries like boat strikes that frequently drive seals onto the beach so we quickly went about intubating him and drawing blood to determine if there were any diseases, infections or hidden abnormalities that would further burden his poor battered body and prevent him from healing. No wonder they wanted to bite us, right?

Jualapeno was one of our better patients in that he remained limp and  almost lifeless as we did the required probing and prodding as quickly and painlessly as possible to venture a preliminary diagnosis.  Perhaps he knew we were trying to help him, but more probably this pup was just too weak and sick to put up any sort of fight.  His life was literally in the hands of his human rescuers as we tried to make the best evaluation and determination regarding his future on this planet.   

Luckily, it was decided that we would do everything we could for him; let his body do what it could, and then just hope that he would survive the night. 

The next morning, he was awake and aware enough to give him a little fish slurry – nauseating to the human who prepared it for him, but delicious and nutritious to our seals.  With each feeding he grew stronger and feistier, a good sign we hoped that in a short time he would be well enough to be released back into the Atlantic Ocean.

He wasn’t well enough to swim in one of our tanks yet however, so the temporary quarters you see in the photo, kept him safe, cool, well fed, and comfortable. It was also important to quarantine him from our other rescues. 

On the day this photo was taken, I had quietly snuck in to check on him.  He'd been sleeping most of the day since his rescue, so I was surprised that he was awake and aware and I was relieved to see him so alert.  Of course, I wanted to snap a quick photo of this happy little survivor.

The funny thing is that he appears to be smiling at me, perhaps eager to come close to his rescuer for a rub or a fish.  He indeed was feeling much better, having eliminated some of his ingested sand and filling his ample belly instead with plenty of the smelly seafood slurries.  He isn't smiling at all however, but is simply opening his mouth to bite me as he lunged at me the second after I snapped this photo.  I however couldn't help but smile and I quickly made a hasty retreat so he could get back to recuperating. 

It was soon obvious Jalapeño would live up to his name, and in a short time he was ready to be released, completely revived and rehabbed.  To our joy, as soon as we opened his cage on the beach and he felt the warm sand on his belly again, he didn't hesitate to make his way across the beach and back toward the ocean.  Jalapeño had survived what must have been terrifying to this baby, but now he was going to finish out the rest of his life in his natural marine environment. 

Without the expertise of the marine scientists at VMSC and the compassion of other humans dedicated to preserving our fragile ecosystem, this young seal - and many like him, would have definitely perished alone on the hot sand instead of returning to the wild with other seals to live the life for which they were destined. 

Go to: virginia marine science center at this link: www.virginiaaquarium.com for more information on this wonderful zoo, aquarium and marine science center.