Juvenile Seal Returns To Ocean After Completing Rehab

OCEAN CITY -- A juvenile grey seal named “Ponyboy,” who was found on the beach in Ocean City on Easter Sunday with a severely injured left front flipper, somewhat reluctantly shuffled out of his crate across the crowded beach and swam into the surf on Wednesday morning.

Ponyboy’s release on Wednesday was the latest in a recent string of releases of injured or ill seals back into the wild after graduating from the Marine Animal Rescue Program’s (MARP) rehabilitation unit at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. On May 23, the MARP crew, led by director Jen Dittmar, released another seal, “Sodapop,” from the beach at Assateague after an extensive rehabilitation program.

On Wednesday, a large crowd gathered in anticipation on the beach just north of the Fishing Pier for the release of Ponyboy and the rehabbed grey seal did not disappoint, although he certainly appeared reluctant to leave the safety of his keepers and the high life he enjoyed at the National Aquarium for the last few months. When MARP staffers opened his crate on the beach, Ponyboy shuffled out, looked around and attempted to go right back in.
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