A rehabilitated gray seal, the youngest ever to be treated by the National Aquarium, was released off Assateague Island last week.
On May 22, staff with National Aquarium Animal Rescue gathered at Assateague Island State Park to release a female gray seal, named “Arcadia,” back into the wild.
The aquarium oversaw Arcadia’s recovery after she was found stranded in Ocean City earlier this year.
“Arcadia returned to the wild on Thursday,” a Facebook post from National Aquarium Stranding Response reads. “Thank you to the responders, rehabilitation team, and animal health team [that] contributed to her successful recovery!”
On March 13, Arcadia was rescued from the beach by the National Aquarium and taken to the aquarium’s Stranding Response Center in Ocean City. After initial triage, the seal was moved to the aquarium’s Animal Care and Rescue Center in Baltimore for long-term treatment.
Arcadia was found emaciated with evidence of an infected puncture wound, an eye infection and oral trauma, according to the National Aquarium. The seal was just a few weeks old, an age still considered maternally dependent for the species.