LOUISVILLE, Ky. — For the past month, a gray seal pup at the Louisville Zoo has been bonding with its mother, Rona. Now that it is weaned, the Animal Health Care team can examine the pup.
The team gave the pup a full health check and determined it's a boy and he weighs a perfectly healthy 146 lbs.
It is common for gray seals to quadruple their weight while nursing. The zoo made sure to not disrupt the bonding process. The animal staff watched both mom and pup in case they needed to go in to assist during the weaning.
The zoo says the seal pregnancy was a planned part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan. In a release, the Louisville Zoo says breeding plans work to maintain the genetic diversity of managed animal populations.
Eight seal pups have been born at the Zoo, including a pair of twin seal pups in 1979. They were the first twins to be documented in a managed system like a zoo.
The Zoo says fans will be able to help name the new pup soon.