A baby seal has a group of B.C. boaters to thank for saving its life after it was found stranded on Savary Island.
Nick Gudewill and David Woodward were having lunch on the island with friends on Tuesday when they heard a seal pup was in distress on the shore about 20 minutes away.
“News quickly spread down the beach that a seal pup was in danger and we immediately wanted to help,” Gudewill said.
The group jumped into Gudewill’s boat, which was anchored nearby, and rushed to First Point to help the seal. On the way, they phoned the Vancouver Aquarium who advised them on how to perform the rescue.
They found the distressed pup trying to find shade behind a rock.
“He was whimpering and crying behind a big rock trying to get out of the blazing sun,” Gudewill said. “It had been abandoned by its mom and had been alone for the entire day, and it was really, really hot.”
Gudewill and Woodward each donned barbecuing gloves and checked the seal -- affectionately named “Kyle #4” -- for injuries before lifting it into a plastic bin.
They carried the pup to Gudewill’s boat to transport it to Powell River. By then the rescue had caught the attention of Savary Islanders, who gathered on the beach to help.
“The aquarium said the seal needed to be transported to Vancouver because it would have died otherwise. At this point it was crying and whimpering pretty badly,” Gudewill said.
Once in the bin and on the boat the overheated seal became more relaxed. “I think he knew we were there to help him,” Gudewill said.
Kyle #4 was rushed to Powell River, about 30 minutes away, where SPCA volunteers met them at the dock. The volunteers took the seal to the Powell River airport where the Vancouver Aquarium staff had booked him on a 5 p.m. flight to Vancouver.
When the pup landed, he was greeted at the airport and transported to the aquarium’s seal recovery centre where he is being cared for.
The Vancouver Aquarium said the pup was stabilizing and its condition was improving on Thursday.
