Prematurely born harbour seal Zeus rescued in BC

The latest patient at Vancouver's Marine Mammal Rescue Centre is tiny in stature but has a big name to live up to.

Zeus, a prematurely born harbour seal, was rescued Tuesday after being found alone on the shores of White Rock, B.C., at only one or two days old.

The pup weighed only seven kilograms, was hypothermic and hungry when a member of the public spotted him with remnants of his umbilical cord still attached, said Lindsaye Akhurst, senior manager of the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Society.

Zeus was still covered in white lanugo fur, which is typically shed in utero, which Akhurst said indicates that he was born early.

"So he's not quite, as we would say, 'cooked,'" she said Friday.

"So far in the last three days, we've been able to stabilize him a bit more. He still has a long way to go, though."

Akhurst said a healthy, full-term newborn pup is usually about 10 kilograms.

She said being premature means Zeus needs specialized care and is currently being fed six times a day to maintain his glucose levels

The pup will be at the rescue centre to get care for approximately two or three months and Akhurst said it's too soon to know whether he will be able to be released into the wild.

"Usually harbour seal pups spend four to six weeks with their moms. So for us to be able to push him through that period, get him strong and healthy to be released, is obviously the goal."

Zeus is the first harbour seal to be rescued by the society this season, Akhurst said.

"It is harbour seal pupping season right now. So between now and the next three to four months, we will see upwards of 100 harbour seal pups coming into our centre," she said, adding that a busy season can mean as many as 200 seals.

Akhurst said members of the public who spot seals that might be in trouble should keep back and call the centre so the animals can be assessed.

"Oftentimes harbour seal moms go out and forage, and they'll leave their pups on the shore while they go out and forage, just to rest and then come back and get them," she said.

"We usually wait upwards of 24 hours or a couple tidal changes to see if we do need to intervene."