by hkmarinelife |
The
first spotted seals were born in Hong Kong between Apr. 13 and May 4. All the
seals are male and named Ocean, Sonny and Sammy. They are the offspring of three
different seals from Dalian in the mainland.
The
baby seals each weighed between 18kg and 38kg now, up from about 10kg after
their birth, said Polar Adventure curator Philip Wong Wing-hong. The boys sport
fluffy coats at birth, but two have already shed them. The youngest squirt,
Sammy, is expected to do so about a month later. "Sonny is the most energetic of
the three. He swam for the first time just 32 hours after he was born,” he said.
“Ocean is the friendliest and loves interacting with the trainers.”
The
spotted seal – the only type of seal found in China – can live up to 35 years
and weigh a maximum of 130kg.
The
spotted seal (Phoca largha, Phoca vitulina largha), also known as the
larga or largha inhabits ice floes and waters of the north Pacific Ocean and
adjacent seas. It is primarily found along the continental shelf of the
Beaufort, Chukchi, Bering and Okhotsk Seas and south to the northern Yellow Sea
and it migrates south as far as northern Huanghai and the western Sea of Japan.
It is also found in Alaska from the southeastern Bristol Bay to Demarcation
Point during the ice-free seasons of summer and autumn when spotted seals mate
and have pups. Smaller numbers are found in the Beaufort Sea.
The
reduction in arctic ice floes due to global warming led to concerns that the
spotted seal was threatened with extinction. In South Korea, spotted seals have
been designated Natural Monument No. 331 and second-class endangered species.
This is because the seals from South Korea travel to Dalian, China to breed
every year where several thousands are harvested for their genitals and sealskin
to be sold on the black market for Chinese medicine. An environmental activist
group Green Korea United is currently working closely with local Chinese
government to stop the seals from being poached by Chinese fishermen.
The
newborn seals are born with a coat of fluffy fur which they shed one month
later, and they usually dip into the water three days after birth.
Two
of the mothers, Qiao Niu and Lisa, were born in the Dalian Lao Hu Tan Ocean Park
while the other was from the Dalian Sun Asia Ocean World.
The
parents of Qiao Niu and Lisa were rescued after the four seals were accidentally
caught by fishermen near the seaport. The Lao Hu Tan Ocean Park cared for them
before releasing them back into the wild last year.
Visitors
can visit the seals at Ocean Park this summer.
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