NMLC's Townsend the Seal Heads Home

CAPE COD, Mass. - June 20, 2013 - PRLog -- (Buzzards Bay, MA) -- June 20, 2013  --  The National Marine Life Center in Buzzards Bay, MA is delighted to announce the release of Townsend, the harbor seal patient first admitted to the hospital in October 2012, after his rescue by Marine Mammals of Maine on Old Orchard Beach, Maine, and initial care by the University of New England’s Marine Rehabilitation Center.  After two surgeries at Cape Cod Veterinary Specialists in Buzzards Bay to address his middle ear disease, three CT scans at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution’s Computerized Scanning and Imaging Facility in Woods Hole, and 8½ months of rehabilitative care, Townsend has a clean bill of health and will be released on Thursday, June 27, 2013 at 6 PM on Scusset Beach State Reservation, 20 Scusset Beach Road, in Sandwich, MA.  The public is invited to attend and celebrate his release.
   “Townsend’s successful rehabilitation and release represents a wonderful victory for the staff and volunteers of the National Marine Life Center.  He made it through two groundbreaking surgeries.  We are so grateful to CCVS and WHOI-CSI for helping.  He’s been a great seal to work with, and it will be a bittersweet joy to watch him return to his ocean home,” stated Kathy Zagzebski, NMLC President and Executive Director.  
   “This case represents a huge milestone,” said Kate Shaffer, Animal Care & Facilities Coordinator. Not only was Townsend the first patient admitted into the new marine animal hospital on Main St. in Buzzards Bay, “he also represents the first seal patient to successfully undergo this type of surgery and successfully be rehabilitated from Middle Ear Disease.”
Because of Townsend’s unique medical history, the National Marine Life Center would like to attach a satellite transmitter to him prior to release. The tag would feed NMLC staff information about his whereabouts, dive depths, and dive durations after release, expanding the understanding of this disease, and gauging the successfulness of his rehabilitation. NMLC is reaching out to the public to help cover the cost of the tag, which runs about $3,000. To contribute to Townsend’s tag and the scientific research into Middle ear Disease please visit http://www.youcaring.com/nonprofits/townsend-s-tag-/65269.
    Two of Townsend's fellow patients enjoyed successful rehabilitation and release:  fellow harbor seal Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan on January 13; and the juvenile gray seal, Howland, on June 4, both at Scusset Beach.  Another juvenile gray, Lucky, remains a patient at the facility.  Townsend was also the inspiration for the character of Sammy in the NMLC’s April comic mystery fundraiser, MURDER “SEALS” THE DEAL at Mezza Luna in April.
   For more information on Townsend, Lucky, and the National Marine Life Center, visit www.nmlc.org.
About the National Marine Life Center
The National Marine Life Center is an independent, non-profit 501(c) (3) rehabilitation and release hospital for the treatment of stranded sea turtles and seals, with future plans to expand to treat dolphins, porpoises, and small whales.  Their emphasis is to educate the public about the needs and status of these important animals and their environment, and to research their health needs and threats in captivity and in the wild.

Contact: Kathy Zagzebski
Executive Director
National Marine Life
kzagzebski@nmlc.org
PO Box 269, 120 Main Street
Buzzards Bay, MA 02532
www.nmlc.org