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This has officially become my 'intern project' for the summer. I'm in the process of figuring out when I can post my blog on the ASLC website. Pretty much what I write here will be posted in the rehabilitation section of the website.
Anyhow this was my first week of pm shift and I've determined that working from 3 pm to midnight takes a toll on me mentally and physically, but that doesn't mean I'm complaining. I still managed to have a great week. So after the death of Axle that left us with only two animals to care for. I was kind of wondering to myself, "When are things going to pick up?" Well it wasn't more than a day that passed when things did. During my Sunday last week we were called about a seal pup stranded in Homer. Vanessa (seasonal) and Laura (intern) drove to Soldotna to pick up the pup. They picked her up in style in our Marine Animal Rescue truck. The seal usually rides out the trip back to Seward in the bed in a transport kennel. The truck has a tall canopy that has heaters installed to keep an animal warm. When the pup arrived she got a complete physical by one of our vets and the girls worked hard to get the seal pup hydrated. This is done both ways: we tube the animal an electrolyte solution and we administer a saline solution sub-cutaneously. It was also up to Laura to name the new girl. After careful consideration and consulting of many automotive catalogs she chose Wiper.
I didn't have much time to get to know Wiper when I came in on Tuesday because we got another call from Homer about a seal pup. The pick up of this pup was delegated to Michelle (seasonal and fellow Canadian) and I. We packed up the truck and headed to Soldotna. The drive was scenic and I got to see how the landscape changes as you go from Seward to the other side of the peninsula where Soldotna is. Seward is full of jagged snowy peaks where it moves to a mountain less landscape full of marshes and wind stunted pine trees as you close in on Soldotna. We pull in to Fred Meyer where the switch was to occur. We greet the stranding network volunteers from Homer. Michelle and I set to work looking over the seal, taking temperature, nose to flipper measurements and administering fluids. The seal looked fairly good for being stranded alone for 48 hours. Michelle asked the two boys with the volunteer ladies what kind of name they wanted to give the seal keeping with the car part theme. The older boy suggested Piston. We packed Piston up and set out for home. We stopped every half hour or so to check his temp. He stayed pretty cold for an hour so we made the decision to move Piston to the cab and crank the heat. It was pretty uncomfortable for Michelle and I but it seemed to warm up Piston. When we got him back to the center he underwent the same exam as Wiper by a vet. We also pumped more fluids into him before going home to bed.
Not only were new kids arriving but Gasket was taking the next step in his rehabilitation. He was moved outside this week to spend his days in one of the condos. The condo is a caged pool and haul out area for our young seals, sea lions and sea otters. It's a place where an older pup can swim in a full pool and learn to haul out of the water. Gasket was not the only one to learn about the condos. I also had to learn how to restrain an animal in a condo. It was not easy for me to climb in, and keep a hold on a seal as gregarious as Gasket. He's gotten quite fat and now there are no handles (lose skin) to grab on to. He also likes to roll. But as one of my fellow interns described, "I was watching the Gasket cam and someone threw a towel over his head and then climbed in. The camera blurred, it was all over before it even started and Gasket looked absolutely stupefied, no worries though he was asleep 4 minutes later." That's the best way to describe what we do.
This week also had me learning how to take temperatures of the seals and how to disinfect an umbilical remnant as well. I had to temp Piston each time on the way back from Soldotna and I've practiced on some of the other seal pups. I also assisted Michelle in administering sub-cu fluids. The newer kids were very complacent and would suck on their fore flippers while we were sticking them, but then there are seals like Muffler who needed to constantly be distracted or she would pull the needle out with her mouth.
Every seal is different and the instinct that all of them have baffles me, especially Gasket. As I have mentioned before he was a c-section born pup and has never come in contact with or let alone seen another seal. Yet he can swim (like a pro) and respond to the calls of the other kids.
I didn't spend too much time philosophizing over the seals because we got a call about another seal stranded on an island that houses a hydro-electric plant. He got the star treatment and was flown in to Homer. Another one of our network volunteers drove him into Soldotna where we made our third pick up of the week. This time it was Vanessa and Hilary who got to go and pick the seal up. The man from the hydro plant that rescued him suggested a few names and Spring was chosen. This is when my week came to a close; it started with just two animals to care for and ended with a full house of 5 kids. I can only hope we see more.
Anyhow this was my first week of pm shift and I've determined that working from 3 pm to midnight takes a toll on me mentally and physically, but that doesn't mean I'm complaining. I still managed to have a great week. So after the death of Axle that left us with only two animals to care for. I was kind of wondering to myself, "When are things going to pick up?" Well it wasn't more than a day that passed when things did. During my Sunday last week we were called about a seal pup stranded in Homer. Vanessa (seasonal) and Laura (intern) drove to Soldotna to pick up the pup. They picked her up in style in our Marine Animal Rescue truck. The seal usually rides out the trip back to Seward in the bed in a transport kennel. The truck has a tall canopy that has heaters installed to keep an animal warm. When the pup arrived she got a complete physical by one of our vets and the girls worked hard to get the seal pup hydrated. This is done both ways: we tube the animal an electrolyte solution and we administer a saline solution sub-cutaneously. It was also up to Laura to name the new girl. After careful consideration and consulting of many automotive catalogs she chose Wiper.
I didn't have much time to get to know Wiper when I came in on Tuesday because we got another call from Homer about a seal pup. The pick up of this pup was delegated to Michelle (seasonal and fellow Canadian) and I. We packed up the truck and headed to Soldotna. The drive was scenic and I got to see how the landscape changes as you go from Seward to the other side of the peninsula where Soldotna is. Seward is full of jagged snowy peaks where it moves to a mountain less landscape full of marshes and wind stunted pine trees as you close in on Soldotna. We pull in to Fred Meyer where the switch was to occur. We greet the stranding network volunteers from Homer. Michelle and I set to work looking over the seal, taking temperature, nose to flipper measurements and administering fluids. The seal looked fairly good for being stranded alone for 48 hours. Michelle asked the two boys with the volunteer ladies what kind of name they wanted to give the seal keeping with the car part theme. The older boy suggested Piston. We packed Piston up and set out for home. We stopped every half hour or so to check his temp. He stayed pretty cold for an hour so we made the decision to move Piston to the cab and crank the heat. It was pretty uncomfortable for Michelle and I but it seemed to warm up Piston. When we got him back to the center he underwent the same exam as Wiper by a vet. We also pumped more fluids into him before going home to bed.
Not only were new kids arriving but Gasket was taking the next step in his rehabilitation. He was moved outside this week to spend his days in one of the condos. The condo is a caged pool and haul out area for our young seals, sea lions and sea otters. It's a place where an older pup can swim in a full pool and learn to haul out of the water. Gasket was not the only one to learn about the condos. I also had to learn how to restrain an animal in a condo. It was not easy for me to climb in, and keep a hold on a seal as gregarious as Gasket. He's gotten quite fat and now there are no handles (lose skin) to grab on to. He also likes to roll. But as one of my fellow interns described, "I was watching the Gasket cam and someone threw a towel over his head and then climbed in. The camera blurred, it was all over before it even started and Gasket looked absolutely stupefied, no worries though he was asleep 4 minutes later." That's the best way to describe what we do.
This week also had me learning how to take temperatures of the seals and how to disinfect an umbilical remnant as well. I had to temp Piston each time on the way back from Soldotna and I've practiced on some of the other seal pups. I also assisted Michelle in administering sub-cu fluids. The newer kids were very complacent and would suck on their fore flippers while we were sticking them, but then there are seals like Muffler who needed to constantly be distracted or she would pull the needle out with her mouth.
Every seal is different and the instinct that all of them have baffles me, especially Gasket. As I have mentioned before he was a c-section born pup and has never come in contact with or let alone seen another seal. Yet he can swim (like a pro) and respond to the calls of the other kids.
I didn't spend too much time philosophizing over the seals because we got a call about another seal stranded on an island that houses a hydro-electric plant. He got the star treatment and was flown in to Homer. Another one of our network volunteers drove him into Soldotna where we made our third pick up of the week. This time it was Vanessa and Hilary who got to go and pick the seal up. The man from the hydro plant that rescued him suggested a few names and Spring was chosen. This is when my week came to a close; it started with just two animals to care for and ended with a full house of 5 kids. I can only hope we see more.
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