Harp Seal Stranded at Berkeley Island Park on the Mend

The stranded tan-and-black harp seal found on the sand near Berkeley Island Park last month is now eating on his own, the director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine said.

"He's still with us and he's still eating," said Robert Schoelkopf, who founded the non-profit center back in 1978.

The 162-pound male has a defective lens on one eye, similar to a cataract, and cannot see out of that eye, he said.

"He can still see out of one eye," Schoelkopf. "That's all he needs to find food.

"The seal had cruised the waters of Barnegat Bay and the mouth of the Toms River for several days in March. He even lumbered up onto the boardwalk of Santo Marine in Bayville, much to the delight of onlookers."

 But by March 12, he lay slumped in the sand near Berkeley Island Park.  Brothers Ralph and Paul Santo called Berkeley Patrolman Jon Sperber, who called the stranding center for help.

Sperber and Jay  Pagel, the center's senior stranding technician, managed to ease the seal into a net. Nearby residents helped lift the mammal into a cage, then onto the stranding center truck.

The seal -- number 11-034-- doesn't have a name.

"We don't name them," Schoelkopf said.

To track stranded seals on the center's website, click on "stranding info" at the far right corner toolbar on top of the site, then click on "strandings."

Each stranding has a picture of the seal, its number, the location it was found and its weight.

"One picture means the seal is still with us," Schoelkopf said.

A second picture means the seal has been released. All released seals are tagged with a battery-powered satellite tag on a hind flipper that tracks their progress and location.

Seals usually return back to the area where they were born, according to the center's website.

The center is currently caring for roughly 15 seals, Schoelkopf said.

The center has an adopt-a-seal program. Supporters who make a $25 donation receive a certificate with their name, a photo of the adopted seal and the seal's history. The donations provide food, medicine and care for sick and injured mammals.For more information, visit the center's website at www.marinemammalstrandingcenter.org.

Harp seals breed on the Newfoundland coast each year. The baby seals are born on the ice and have snowy white fur, often prized by hunters, according to the National Geographic's website at www.nationalgeographic.com.

Harp seals' home grounds are the Northern Atlantic and Arctic oceans. They spend little time on land and feed on fish and crustaceans. They have an average lifespan of 20 years and can grow up to 400 pounds, the website states.