Assiniboine Park Zoo welcomes two new harbour seals

Rescue seals arrive at Assiniboine Park Zoo The zoo unveiled two rescue harbour seals from Vancouver, fresh off a 30-day quarantine.

The Assiniboine Park Zoo is now home to two rescued harbour seals named Cetus and Camrose.

The male seals finished a 30-day quarantine and are now part of the zoo’s Journey to Churchill exhibit.

“Along with other northern species, the seals in Journey to Churchill help tell an important part of the climate change story and the connection between the land, wildlife, and people of the north,” said Johanna Soto, a curator of animal care at Assiniboine Park Zoo, in a news release.

“We are very excited to welcome Cetus and Camrose to the Zoo.”

The two harbour seals were rescued before they were a week old. They were deemed non-releasable because of health issues that restricted their ability to hunt, care for themselves and survive in the wild.

For 11 months, Cetus and Camrose received rehabilitative care at the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Centre before their transfer to Assiniboine Park Zoo in June, which now has a total of seven male harbor seals. A veterinary team will now monitor and provide care for the seals’ health needs.

Cetus and Camrose can be found in the Gateway to the Arctic seal habitat with the Journey to Churchill exhibit.