Brigantine, NJ — After four months of recovery for a serious flipper injury, a rehabilitated seal finally returned to the open ocean this week as the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine faces mounting costs and calls for public donations.
It happened as staff at the center opened the gate to a transport crate and watched the animal—once stranded in Port Monmouth—slide back into the sea. The seal became known during its recovery for pressing up against hospital windows, peering out at the world. This week, he finally got his view back, this time with no glass in between.
The MMSC says the patient was one of 18 seals treated so far this season at their hospital, which provides emergency veterinary care, food, and medical treatment for stranded or injured marine mammals along New Jersey’s coastline. Another patient, still recovering from an infected and injured flipper, remains under care.
With growing expenses for medicine, supplies, and food, the nonprofit is asking for public help to continue its operations. Officials say donations have directly enabled multiple successful releases this year, including this week’s seal—now healthy and back in the wild.
Photos of the release were captured by Justin Turner, showing the animal’s final steps toward freedom on a New Jersey beach.
The Marine Mammal Stranding Center, founded in 1978, is the only organization in New Jersey dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating marine mammals and sea turtles. They rely heavily on public donations to maintain the facility and support field response teams year-round.
To help, visit mmsc.org.
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Key Points
- A rehabilitated seal was released into the wild this week after four months of treatment at MMSC
- The center has treated 18 seals this season and is currently caring for one more
- MMSC is requesting public donations to fund ongoing rescue and rehabilitation work
