Jan. 05--A rare-in-captivity gray seal pup was born at the Brookfield Zoo on Jan. 2, the parent organization Chicago Zoological Society announced Tuesday.
The female, born at 30 lbs., will likely molt and lose the long, white fur coat she is born with before going on public display, making photographs and video the best way for the public to see this vital (and, yes, adorable) phase of the pup's life. As yet unnamed, she was born to 11-year-old Lily, whose rich milk is expected to as much as triple the pup's weight in her first month. The zoo will chronicle the pup's early life, expected to include the introduction of fish into her diet at about three weeks, at CZS.org/GraySealPup.
Found in the wild in the North Atlantic and the Baltic Sea, gray seals are not endangered there, but only 24 are kept in eight institutions in North America, the zoo said in its news release. Brookfield marine mammals curator Rita Stacey is keeper of the gray seal studbook, used to manage the animals' demographics and genetic diversity, for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
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