Seal: Noelani

Description

• Species – Pacific harbor seal (Phoca vitulina richardsi)
• Birthday – unknown, 2017
• Distinguishing Features – Noelani (no-ah-LAH-nee) is significantly smaller than her tank mate, Lucy. She is light brownish in color with slightly darker brown markings.
• Weight – 60-70 lbs. (she is still a baby and will get to be around 170 lbs!)
• Personality Traits – Noelani is extremely playful! She loves chasing Lucy around in the pool and playing with her enrichment items. She’s very eager to please her trainers during her feeding times and is learning new behaviors very quickly!
• Interesting Fact – Just like Lucy, Noelani was born in the wild. She stranded herself in California in September 2017. She was very lethargic and underweight. The volunteers who found her gave her the name Noelani which means “mist of heaven”. She was moved to the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, CA and was deemed non-releasable due to clinical blindness. Noelani also has hydrocephalus (water on the brain) and brain atrophy, which is thought to be the cause of her blindness. She came to Jenkinson’s Aquarium on April 7, 2018 and was introduced to Lucy on May 17, 2018.
• Favorite Enrichment Toys – bowling pins, kongs with ropes