Bellingham, Washington – Over the Fourth of July weekend, a young harbor seal pup was rescued in Bellingham. The three-week-old pup, known as number 24, was examined and found to be suffering from a gunshot wound to the head.
As reported by King 5, the pup is being cared by SeaLife Response, Rehabilitation, & Research (SR3). Casey McLean, executive director and veterinary nurse at SR3, tells the news agency:
“Number 24 came in and unfortunately we discovered through taking radiographs that this animal has been shot and has a projectile lodged in the top of their skull. We are working to stabilize this animal and hopefully be able to rehabilitate him to return him to the wild.”
It is unclear if the bullet lodged in the pup’s skull will be surgically removed. Until the decision is made, number 24 continues to receive care, and he is showing signs of improvement.
Sadly, injuries like this pup are suffering from are becoming increasingly common.
McLean said:
“We are seeing an increasing number of gunshot cases coming in. We’ve seen about four in less than a year. This can range from adult animals to this young harbor seal pup. It’s really sad because we do see this as a case where people are taking out their frustration over salmon issues on these animals.”
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