Inside the MMSC's Emotional Rescue of an Injured Seal Pup

In a heartbreaking post on Facebook on Tuesday, Brigantine's Marine Mammal Stranding Center announced that the young harbor seal rescued from Bradley Beach in Monmouth County last Tuesday, Jan. 27th, has died.

The seal pup was the first rescue patient of 2026 at the Brigantine facility.

MMSC Called in to Rescue Injured Seal Pup in Monmouth County

On Jan 27, the rescue team from the Marine Mammal Stranding Center was called to respond to a badly injured seal lying on the beach at the 3rd Avenue jetty in Bradley Beach. They recounted the rescue on Facebook.

When our Stranding Team arrived, they found a juvenile male Harbor seal suffering from a large open wound on his abdomen. The seal was lethargic, with blood and foam visible around his mouth.

The young seal was admitted to MMSC’s hospital suffering from lungworm, parasitic roundworms that fill the respiratory passages, leading to acute respiratory infections.

Though he started eating on his own over the weekend, he continued to receive assistance with his feedings because his eating was inconsistent.

This seal’s biggest medical concern was that he was still battling an incredibly high parasite load in his lungs and was coughing up the lungworms frequently.

The Seal's Health Declined

Despite the best care possible at the MMSC, by early this week, the young seal's health had continued to decline.

Despite critical medical treatment, his neurologic symptoms worsened rapidly, and he became nonresponsive.

Given the rapid deterioration of his condition, our veterinary team concluded that the kindest course of action would be humane euthanasia to prevent his continued prolonged suffering.

The staff will perform a full necropsy to help provide information to help future seals with similar conditions.

The Facebook post from the MMSC ends sadly, as others before it have.

"The most heart-wrenching aspect of animal rescue is that while we know we can’t save them all, we feel the weight of every passing."