Today, I went with Katie, from the Cape Cod Stranding Network, to the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. Katie is the necropsy coordinator at the CCSN. I assisted her with a necropsy of a Harbor Seal pup. It was really interesting. It took a couple hours to perform. We collected tissue samples to be tested for toxins and pox virus. One suspicious thing that we found was what looked like bite
marks on the tail and flippers. The bite marks could have been from a coyote attack. Packs of coyotes patrol the beaches in the area and
are known to attack seals on shore. This is of concern to rehabbers because it could be possible for the coyotes to transmit rabies to seals. This could pose a danger during rehabilitation. Necropsies are important because information obtained during necropsies can help
rehabbers better care for living seals.
In addition to the Kemp’s Ridley Sea Turtles, they are also 
rehabilitating a Green Sea Turtle at the New England Aquarium. I had never seen a Green Turtle before, so this was really exciting for me. They don’t usually rescue Green Turtles until a little later in the season. The Green Sea Turtle was bigger than the Kemp’s Ridleys and she was beautiful. She is doing really well. I helped them feed her squid and herring. She was a pretty aggressive eater. This was entertaining to watch (see video).
Posted by Christy Buckley on Dec 9, 2006
