Pickle the Elephant Seal: Kind of a Big Dill! |
Elephant seals, while becoming more common in the Puget Sound, are still a relatively infrequent sight in the region. So when SR³ received a call from our partners at the San Juan County Marine Mammal Stranding Network about a lethargic elephant seal with concerning skin lesions, we jumped into action. |
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Weighing in at about 230 pounds, it was truly a community effort to get her from the Islands down to the hospital. Named in keeping with our condiments theme this year, Pickle the elephant seal was our first patient of 2023. Our vet team soon determined that Pickle had some eye ulcerations and a skin condition that was treatable. Her stay at the rescue center lasted a couple weeks while she healed and regained some energy and enthusiasm. |
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Two Past Patients Spotted at Sea! |
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For every patient who enters the SeaLife Rescue Center, our ultimate goal is to help them return to the ocean. So the best possible news we can receive is that one of our past patients was spotted thriving in the wild. And recently, we heard this news x2! Venus and Spaghetti were both rescued in 2022. They arrived at the rescue center skinny and wounded, where Spaghetti was also found to be suffering from pneumonia. |
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After healing with your help, Venus was released in Gig Harbor in December. She was then resighted in the wild off Ruston Way in Tacoma in January, looking healthy and clearly getting her banana pose on!
Spaghetti also made a bit of a journey from her release point in Federal Way, as she was spotted in West Seattle in February. Venus and Spaghetti wouldn’t have gotten to where they are today without this heroic community - thank you! Read more about Spaghetti's sighting in the West Seattle blog ›› |
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Protecting Whales Through Research |
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The more we understand about human impacts on whales, the better you and I will be able to protect them. And with your help throughout the year, our whale research team is on the frontlines of vital recovery actions for several different whale populations. |
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All research images were collected using a remotely-piloted drone that was flown >100ft above the whale(s). |
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Spring Clean at the Beach Help us protect marine animals by cleaning up Alki Beach! We’ll be doing a beach and underwater cleanup at Seacrest Cove 2 in West Seattle on April 16th, from 7a.m. to 2 p.m. If you’re a diver, don some SCUBA gear and collect trash on the ocean floor! You can also join our team on shore to pick up trash around the beach and sort through debris that the divers pick up.
Click here to sign up for a time slot and let’s clean up our ocean! |
| Community Open House!
Come explore your local marine wildlife hospital on Saturday, April 29, anytime between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.! This is your chance to see what goes on behind the fence screens at SR³’s SeaLife Rescue Center in the Des Moines marina. Staff and volunteers will be there to welcome you for a tour and answer your questions about rehabilitating marine mammals.
This is a family-friendly event, with activities for youth as well as free food and beverages. A Spanish interpreter will also be available!
To minimize the stress and habituation to humans for any patients in care, please note that animal viewing will not be a part of the tour. |
| Volunteer Training Coming Soon With harbor seal pupping season right around the corner, having lots of trained hands on deck and ready to help is our top priority right now! Thank you so much to everyone who has expressed interest in sharing your time and energy with us to help care for these patients. A reminder that invites to our virtual orientations will go out on March 27, so be sure to check your inbox (or spam folder!) that day. Your information must be in our database by March 25 to receive an invite; you can confirm if you’re already registered by clicking here.
More questions? Reach out to our volunteer team via email. |
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Thank you and welcome to the team, John! |
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Meet John, SR³’s new Life Support Systems and Facilities Technician! John grew up next to Southern California beaches and has a passion for building and maintaining saltwater aquariums. Much of his career has supported humans - he spent 16 years as an EMT - but he's excited to now be moving on to help marine mammals.
John will be supporting our patients by overseeing the life support equipment that keeps their pools clean and gives them the healthiest possible environment in which to recover. |
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