Seals, Influenza, and Stranding.... Oh My!

Ever wonder if seals and dolphins get sick like people do?  The answer is yes, of course!  Not only do animals in captivity need the careful eye of veterinarians, but animals in the wild get sick too.  For the last few months, NOAA staff have been responding to numerous dolphins and seals stranding in what have been deemed Unusual Mortality Events both in the Gulf of Mexico and the Northeast Atlantic.  Staff work diligently to investigate the causes of these strandings to both monitor emerging diseases and minimize health risks to the public.

In the northern Gulf of Mexico, almost 600 cetaceans have stranded over the last year, nearly all of them washing ashore dead.  These cases began showing up just before the oil spill and have continued since.  After a controlled sampling of wild dolphins over the summer, lab results indicate that a bacterium known as Brucella may be the culprit behind the strandings.  This bacterium can be transmitted through contact with infected animals, which keeps NOAA responders monitoring the situation closely.  In the Northeast, harbor seals have been stranding with skin lesions since September.  These strandings are different from the usual cases of malnutrition at this time of year and some of the animals have tested positive for the flu!

As if these events weren't enough to handle, a similar problem has been arising in the Arctic.  Since the summer, over 100 ringed seals have stranded with hair loss and skin lesions on their faces and flippers.  Most recently, walruses and a bowhead whale also exhibited similar symptoms.  Stranding responders and NOAA employees work hard to coordinate international communication in an area of the world that is difficult to even traverse.  Even more complicated, these animals are an important subsistence resource for local native communities that hunt and consume these animals.  Coming into contact with sick animals presents its risks to stranding responders and local Alaskans, which highlights the importance of leaving this work to the professionals!

Thanks to the Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program for watching out for these animals along our coasts!  And remember, if you ever see a seal on the beach, keep your distance and contact the stranding network or the authorities.