By Angela MacKenzie, CTV Montreal
A small hooded seal was spotted lounging on the shore of Boucherville on the South Shore of Montreal Thursday morning, more than 1,000 kilometres from its natural habitat.
A passerby took photos and video of the seal, which is likely only a a few months old, and promptly called the Quebec Marine Mammal Emergency Network (QMMEN).
It turns out, the network had already been tracking the seal, which had been hanging around a marina on Ile Saint-Helene since July 24.
"The team and the boaters at the marina were really collaborative, sending pictures, describing what the animal was doing," said Marie-Eve Muller, spokesperson for the Quebec Marine Mammal Emergency Network. "We also had volunteers from the Marine Mammal Emergency Response Network who were going there often."
Muller said early Thursday morning, a team of veterinarians from Universite de Montreal was on its way to assess the seal’s health. Volunteers had noticed it was losing weight, and appeared to have an eye infection.
When the veterinarians arrived at the marina, the seal was gone. Muller says within minutes, the QMMEN received a call that the seal was now in Boucherville.