Today at 12:30 ET: Marine Animal Rescue webcast

Happy World Oceans Day!

TODAY at 12:30 p.m. (Eastern), tune in to our Facebook page for a live webcast and interactive Q&A with the Aquarium’s Marine Animal Rescue Program staff! They’re busy preparing to release several rehabilitated Kemp’s ridley sea turtles back to their ocean habitat; watch and see what it takes to get these animals ready for release.

The release will take place on Sunday, June 26, at 11 a.m. at the swimming beach of Point Lookout State Park, MD. The release event is free and open to the public, but park entrance fees do apply.

Monkeying around in Baltimore’s Rain Forest

Golden lion tamarins are small, orange monkeys that are found only in southeastern Brazil’s Atlantic coastal forest. Heavy development has reduced their habitat so severely that only 2% of this forest remains, and there are only about 1,500 golden lion tamarins left in the wild.

An additional 500 golden lion tamarins live in zoos worldwide, as part of the Golden Lion Tamarin Conservation Project. The goal of this species survival program is to maintain a healthy, genetically diverse population of this endangered species. Without the Golden Lion Tamarin Conservation Project, comprised of the Brazilian government, the National Aquarium and other zoos and organizations, inbreeding would soon lead to the extinction of the entire species.

The Aquarium recently welcomed two of these golden lion tamarins, named Belle and Davi, to our Upland Tropical Rain Forest exhibit.

Belle and Davi in the Aquarium's Rain Forest

Belle was born at the Denver Zoo in March 2008, and Davi was born at the Bergen County Zoo in New Jersey in March 2007. They arrived at the Aquarium this winter, and were gradually introduced to each other and their new home.

They initially spent time in a backup area with a divider separating them, so they could see each other but had their own spaces. Aquarium staff kept a close watch on the shy monkeys via a video camera, and our vets gave them thorough medical exams.

Eventually, they were allowed to be together with supervision, and it turned out that Belle and Davi get along beautifully!

After the quarantine period, the tamarins were moved to a “howdy cage” in the Rain Forest. The howdy cage helps them get familiarized with the new environment, while allowing them to feel safe and secure in their own space.

The howdy cage

They are now able to leave the howdy cage and roam about the Rain Forest, but they consider the howdy cage their home and sleep there at night. There is always a volunteer or staff member supervising them when they are out and about. After all, monkeys have been known to get into mischief!

Rain Forest staff members provide a variety of enrichment items for the tamarins—puzzles like holey boxes or tubes with tasty fruit or insects inside. We change the enrichment items every day, because they are so good at figuring them out!

If you’re lucky enough to spot one of these cute creatures in the Rain Forest, the easiest way to identify the monkey is by the tail: Davi has a long tail, but Belle’s is very short. Davi is also a darker shade of orange, while Belle is blonder, and Belle is the more outgoing one, while Davi is quite timid.

Belle and Davi in their nest box

To come see Belle and Davi, buy your tickets online at aqua.org!

The season for helping seals

From Jenn Dittmar and Amber White

Spring is here, and that means thoughts of warmer weather, the beach, and vacations are in the air! But here in the Marine Animal Rescue Program (MARP), spring is the season for seals. It’s the time of year that seals, and other marine mammal species like whales and dolphins, can be found along the Mid-Atlantic shoreline.

As we’ve noted in past posts, these animals, although beautiful to see in our area, are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), and should be left to explore their natural environment without interruption. However, there are occasional circumstances in which a marine mammal is in distress, and is in need of medical care from trained veterinarians.

Already this year, we have received many reports of seal sightings in the region. Our staff and volunteers are specially trained to assess, monitor, and sometimes collect the animals if they are in need of rehabilitation.

"Stewie" lounging by his rehabilitation pool

In the past two weeks, we admitted two grey seals for rehabilitation. Rehabilitating wild animals can be difficult, as there is a need to minimize human contact. Our staff and volunteers work very hard to ensure the animals receive the best possible care while maintaining their natural behaviors and instincts.

On March 14, a young gray seal pup was admitted to our rehabilitation program. He was spotted on the beach in northern Ocean City, and our responders quickly evaluated his overall body condition and behavior. They reported that the animal appeared dehydrated, lethargic, and seemed to be coughing frequently. It quickly became apparent that the seal, later named Stewie, is still quite young. At the time, staff were unsure if he was even old enough to be eating and hunting for food on his own.

Once admitted for rehab and stabilized, staff tried various techniques to encourage his natural food hunting instincts. Those instincts quickly kicked in and he is currently eating 7 pounds of fish per day! He has shown improvements in his health and spends time swimming in his rehab pool.

On March 17, the MARP team received a call from North Carolina asking if we had room to admit an additional gray seal for rehabilitation. Their staff had been monitoring a juvenile gray seal for several days, and noted that the animal was emaciated, dehydrated, and had grown increasingly lethargic over two days.

"Guinness" swimming in his rehabilitation pool.

The seal was initially transported to the Virginia Aquarium’s rehabilitation facility for triage and some much-needed fluids. On March 18, the MARP team, in conjunction with the Virginia Aquarium Stranding Program and the MERR Institute in Delaware, transported the animal to Baltimore.

Appropriately named Guinness, as he stranded on St. Patrick’s Day, the seal was immediately provided triage and supportive care. Upon examination by our veterinary staff, it was determined that Guinness was suffering from pneumonia, a moderate jaw fracture, and an upper respiratory infection. Guinness is responding well to treatment and is currently eating more than 12 pounds of fish per day!

Both seals continue to do well, and we are looking forward to keeping you informed on their progress while they are in rehabilitation with us at the National Aquarium.

In addition to these two seals, we are still caring for the 11 sea turtles that came to us in December from the New England Aquarium. Caring for these animals is very costly. If you’d like to contribute to their care and feeding, you can make a donation online, or donate $5 right from your mobile phone by texting ACT to 20222.

A one-time donation of $5 will be added to your mobile phone bill or deducted from your prepaid balance. All donations must be authorized by the account holder. All charges are billed by and payable to your mobile service provider. Service is available on most carriers. Donations are collected for the benefit of the National Aquarium by the Mobile Giving Foundation and subject to the terms found at www.hmgf.org/t. Messaging & Data Rates May Apply. You can unsubscribe at any time by texting STOP to 20222; text HELP to 20222 for help.

A salute to Jimmy & Teddy

This Presidents’ Day, join us in celebrating our two heads of state that are now residing in the Gray’s Reef exhibit at our Washington, DC, venue. Two adorable baby loggerhead sea turtles, named Jimmy and Teddy, came to their new temporary home in the nation’s capital from the North Carolina Aquarium, which is leading an effort to help rebuild sea turtle populations.

The two turtles are named after presidents Jimmy Carter and Teddy Roosevelt. Roosevelt was well known for his conservation role while president; he greatly expanded the National Parks System. The National Aquarium’s freshwater gallery represents many of our National Parks today. Similarly, President Jimmy Carter designated Gray’s Reef, in the southeastern United States, as a National Marine Sanctuary. A Gray’s Reef exhibit is also represented at the Aquarium, and is the current home for the loggerheads.

Sea turtles have a challenging life. Weighing just 20 grams at birth, they face many natural predators both on the sandy beaches where they are hatched and in the oceans where they will dwell when they get older. Loggerheads were once actively hunted for their eggs and meat, and still are in some places of the world. Because of their low survival rate, they have been classified as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.

In order to help save these magnificent animals from extinction, we participate in the North Carolina Aquarium’s program that gives baby sea turtles a better chance at survival. Through this program, sea turtle hatchlings spend time in aquariums where they can safely grow. Once they are given a clean bill of health and an extra boost of nutrition, they are released back to the ocean.

The turtles were hatched on September 1 in North Carolina, and were brought to the Aquarium in mid-November. They have already tripled their weight since they arrived! The turtles now weigh more than 350 grams each. It is estimated that they will weigh around 1,500 grams (a little over 3 pounds) by fall when they will be returned to North Carolina for release into the ocean. Eventually, these turtles could weigh up to 200 pounds!

Under the Aquarium’s care, the turtles are measured monthly and will undergo exams with X-rays and blood work at 6 months old and 1 year old. The staff is also monitoring their calcium levels to ensure healthy shell growth. They are pole fed by the staff, who have noticed that the turtles love to steal food from the fish. They are very quick and love diving to the bottom to pick up leftovers that the fish don’t eat.

Next time you are visiting Washington, DC, stop in to see our adorable heads of state, and salute two presidents who contributed so much to the conservation of some of the most precious habitats our great country has to offer!

A closer look into turtle-mania

Our Marine Animal Rescue Program (MARP) team is still hard at work caring for 11 rescued Kemp’s ridley sea turtles. These staff and volunteers spend a great deal of time with the animals during their stay at the Aquarium. A simple pleasure enjoyed by our MARP team is the opportunity to give each animal a proper nickname so they can be remembered long after they are released back to their natural habitat.

These turtles were admitted to the rehabilitation program in December, when the Aquarium was buzzing with holiday spirit! Check out the video below for a closer look at our patients: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, Rudolph, Frosty and Buddy (the elf)!

If you want to help us care for these turtles, you can make a donation online, or donate $5 right from your mobile phone by texting ACT to 20222.

A one-time donation of $5 will be added to your mobile phone bill or deducted from your prepaid balance. All donations must be authorized by the account holder. All charges are billed by and payable to your mobile service provider. Service is available on most carriers. Donations are collected for the benefit of the National Aquarium by the Mobile Giving Foundation and subject to the terms found at www.hmgf.org/t. Messaging & Data Rates May Apply. You can unsubscribe at any time by texting STOP to 20222; text HELP to 20222 for help.