Blind Seal Stranded a Decade Ago Gives Birth at Chicago-Area Zoo, Becomes Attentive Mother

A remarkable story of resilience unfolded at the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago, where an 11-year-old grey seal named "Georgie" gave birth to a 35-pound male pup on Feb. 17, despite being blind and stranded more than a decade ago on an island in Maine.

Stranded and Blind

Georgie was found stranded on an island in Georgetown, Maine, near the Atlantic Ocean in 2013. It was determined that she was blind in her left eye and functionally blind in her right eye. Authorities with the National Marine Fisheries Service decided she could not be released back into the wild due to her impaired vision. Consequently, in 2020, Georgie arrived at the Brookfield Zoo, west of downtown Chicago.

Despite her vision loss, Georgie has proved to be an exemplary mother to her newborn pup. Mark Gonka, the zoo’s associate director of marine mammal care and conservation, emphasized that Georgie’s impaired vision has not affected her ability to care for her offspring. He noted that grey seals have a keen sense of smell and vocalizations that help Georgie locate her pup.

Genetic Diversity and Conservation Efforts

The newborn pup, sired by a 23-year-old grey seal named Kiinaq, has been thriving under Georgie's care. Both parents of the pup have faced their own adversities, Kiinaq was also stranded in the wild and deemed unreleasable when he was only a few months old.

The birth of the pup from two parents of wild descent is a significant achievement in the effort to increase the genetic diversity of the grey seal population in accredited North American zoos and aquariums. The Brookfield Zoo emphasized that this birth contributes to the conservation of grey seals, which face threats such as entanglement in fishing gear, illegal hunting, chemical contaminants, and climate change.

Georgie's journey from being stranded and blind to becoming a nurturing mother at the zoo is a testament to the resilience of wildlife. Her story offers hope and inspiration in the ongoing efforts to conserve and protect vulnerable species like the grey seal.