When reviewing the videos taken by Alex Fletcher during the first few days after the pup’s birth, I was surprized to see this clip of Bertha’s rear flippers as she moved around.
Daily Archives: Wednesday,January 15, 2014
Video: Elephant seal pup born on Vancouver island is an online star : Global TV
(Global TV toured the waters of Race Rocks and did an Interview with the Ecological Reserve Warden Garry Fletcher on January15: Click on the image to see the article .
An elephant seal pup is getting used to the watchful eye of the Internet.
Its every move is being broadcast by a webcam to people watching around the world.
It was born in the early morning hours of January 14 at Race Rocks Ecological Reserve in the Strait of Juan de Fuca just off the southern tip of Vancouver island.
The reserve says this is the fifth pup born to a female called Bertha since January 2009.
Race Rocks is the only place in Canada where elephant seals breed and while other baby seals have been born on the reserve’s other islands, they’ve been washed out to sea by the waves.
Elephant seals were hunted to near-extinction in the 19th century, but are now protected under the Fisheries Act.
Elephant seals more durable than internet networks
I checked on the pup briefly this morning (so far unnamed as we will wait for a while to make sure he has a good chance of survival.) I said “he” because Alex thinks it is probably a male because of a tell-tale opening midway from umbilical to tail.
This picture taken at 11:15 AM from camera 1 shows all is well and the male Chunk (top) is not bothering the pup or the female.
Hopefully you can take advantage of the documentation we have on the website of our observations of elephant seals at Race Rocks Ecological reserve.……more tomorrow…..
Elephant seal Pup at Race Rocks Jan 15, 2014
These are images taken yesterday of the new elephant seal pup at Race Rocks . (by resident Ecoguardian Alex Fletcher). The pup has been nursing regularly and the male “Chunk” is not bothering it so far.
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- A touch of milk on the whiskers!
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- They are close to the marine science centre.
The students of the Marine Science classes from Lester Pearson College were able to get out to Race Rocks to observe the new arrival first hand from a safe distance. 