Three harbor seal pups were admitted to the Alaska SeaLife Center’s Wildlife Response program last week, and all three came from the Copper River, the center announced Friday.

According to a news release from the center, the pups are also the first harbor seal patients admitted in 2023.

The three pups were found in three different locations along the Copper River, and were reported by different fishing boats, the release said. They were each admitted because harbor seal pups cannot survive on their own, and no adult seals were seen in the area.

A female pup was admitted May 21, and a male and a female were both admitted May 23, the release says.

The pups were recovered by the fishing boats and delivered to Alaska State Wildlife Troopers. The troopers brought the pups to Cordova Airport, from which they were flown to Anchorage. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration staff transported the pups from Anchorage to a waiting SeaLife Center vehicle along the Seward Highway, which brought them to their final destination in Seward.

Veterinary assessment of all three pups found signs of malnutrition and dehydration. All three still had umbilical cords attached, which the release says indicates that they were each less than a week old.

For more information about the Alaska SeaLife Center and the Wildlife Response Program, visit alaskasealife.org. To report an injured or stranded marine animal in Alaska, call the 24-hour Stranded Marine Animal Hotline at 1-888-774-7325.

Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.

One of three recently admitted harbor seal pups is seen at the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward, Alaska. (Photo courtesy Kaiti Grant/Alaska SeaLife Center)