Rescued harbor seal now lives at New York Aquarium

NEW YORK - A harbor seal that was found abandoned as a tiny pup on a beach in California a year ago is now making Brooklyn her home.

The seal, named Sidney, was likely born premature and left on the sand near Abalone Point in Laguna Beach by her mother, according to scientists. Its umbilical cord was still attached. A team from the Pacific Marine Mammal Center rescued her from the beach on Feb. 11. 

The team cared for her for months, rehabbing her, and training her to be released back into the ocean. However, Sidney didn't develop the skills needed to survive in the wild, according to the PMMC.

The New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society agreed to take Sidney in and give her a home in Coney Island.

Sidney, a harbor seal, swims in a habitat at the WCS New York Aquarium in Brooklyn, N.Y. (Wildlife Conservation Society photo/Julie Larsen Maher)

"We are grateful for the excellent care that the rescue team at the PMMC provided Sidney, and we will make sure she is well cared for at the New York Aquarium," aquarium interim director Craig Piper said in a statement. "We're proud to partner with other conservation organizations to help individual animals like Sidney while also working to protect entire species and their habitats around the world."

Sidney, a harbor seal pup, sleeping on her first night at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach, Calif., Feb. 11, 2020. (Pacific Marine Mammal Center photo)

Sidney arrived at the aquarium in November. The staff "worked with her every day to ensure she acclimated comfortably to her new environment and would integrate with the rest of the aquarium's harbor seals safely," WCS said in a news release.

Sidney lives in the Sea Cliffs exhibit, where visitors can see her and other seals. 

Sidney crowing on the floor at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach, Calif. (Pacific Marine Mammal Center photo)

"She has developed a close bond with Murphy, another female harbor seal born at the aquarium last summer, and the two youngsters are active playmates," WCS said.

New York Aquarium | 602 Surf Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11224 | 718-265-3474

Sidney, a harbor seal, swims in a habitat at the WCS New York Aquarium in Brooklyn, N.Y. (Wildlife Conservation Society photo/Julie Larsen Maher)