Busy Marine Mammal Stranding Center Needs These Supplies Now

This is a hectic season for the Marine Mammal Stranding Center with a full house of stranded and injured seals. The Marine Mammal Stranding Center responds to calls for stranded seals, whales, dolphins, and sea turtles that wash ashore on New Jersey beaches.

The MMSC is asking for help with supplies to help them keep up with the large number of grey seal pups now rehabilitating at the center.

21 Seals Are Under the Care of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center

It's seal stranding season and Brigantine's Marine Mammal Stranding Center is near capacity with 21 grey seal pups in their care, rehabilitating after suffering wounds or becoming stranded on New Jersey beaches.

The grey seal pups have traveled hundreds of miles from their pupping grounds in New England to as far north as Canada.

“Grey seals only nurse with mothers for two to three weeks before they become independent,” said Michele Pagel, assistant director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center.

That leaves young seals susceptible to strandings if they become malnourished, sick, or injured as they swim south.

Marine Mammal Stranding Center Asks for Help With Supplies

This active seal stranding season has left the Marine Mammal Stranding Center short on several important supplies. They are in immediate need of the following items:

- Silver Honey wound spray- used to treat open wounds on the seals, including an entangled seal from Long Beach Island who is being treated with this medication at least three times daily.

- Similac Soy Isomil Formula- the first step in providing supportive care to sick and dehydrated seals when first admitted to our hospital.

- XL nitrile gloves- in a single day a Stranding Technician can go through at least 7 pairs of gloves during cleaning, feeding, medical treatments, and handling animals on strandings.

- A new blender: Apparently, mixing up all those healthy protein seal drinks has worn out the MMSC's blender, and has left them with only their old backup blender.

- Book of USPS stamps

- Amazon.com eGift Cards to quickly purchase the tools, supplies, and equipment needed for animal care.