BALTIMORE, Md.- A young grey seal pup found in the Cape Henlopen State Park near Valentine's Day is having a sweet recovery.
On Tuesday, the National Aquarium in Baltimore released new photos of the pup they've named Eloise (MERR rescuers nicknamed her Cupid due to her rescue date). The aquarium's name theme this year is famous storybook characters, hence the change.
Eloise was first rescued by the MERR Institute, found malnourished and with a few cuts on her neck. When she arrived at the Baltimore facility, the aquarium says she was initially hydrated and nourished through an oral feeding tube, but she quickly upgraded to her next stage in rehabilitation.
The aquarium says Eloise is so young that if she was in the wild right now, she would be relying on her mother for milk. Therefore, the aquarium is trying to teach her how to eat fish--something her mother would normally teach her. The aquarium says Eloise has been exceeding expectations and has full time pool access for swimming and other enrichment activities.
“Pippi and Eloise are unique cases for the Mid-Atlantic because they have stranded when they are still young enough to be maternally-dependent,” said Jennifer Dittmar, director of animal rescue at the National Aquarium. “There could be many reasons for this to be happening including storms, a human interaction that scared off the mom, maternal instincts that haven’t kicked in or birthing complications.”
Pippi Longstocking was the Aqaurium's first ever maternally-dependent seal. She was found in Dewey Beach last February and released nine months later in Assateague.
To keep up with Eloise’s journey, follow the National Aquarium social channels: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tik Tok.