Harbor seal rescued near Killens Pond

Phil, a wayward harbor seal who has spent months along the Murderkill River, was successfully rescued near the Killens Pond spillway.

Phil was first spotted in the Murderkill River at the Coursey Pond spillway right before Christmas, much farther inland than most seals, which prefer to spend their time in salt water.

“This seal undoubtedly followed the fish that were heading up the Murderkill from Delaware Bay,” Suzanne Thurman, executive director of the Marine Education, Research & Rehabilitation Institute, said in an email. “Many locals from the Felton area took on a true sense of stewardship for the seal and helped MERR by calling in sightings so that we could keep tabs on him.”

Thurman said the seal was named after a local fisherman who was dedicated to keeping an eye on the seal's welfare.

As MERR volunteers and locals kept an eye on Phil, they hoped he would make the 12-14 trip back to the bay. But during the first snowstorm of 2017, Phil figured out how to go out of a parking lot, up a big hill and across Canterbury Road into Coursey Pond. His new spot made it harder to spot him, and his dedicated fans worried about him recrossing the high-speed road.

During his time in Coursey Pond, he was sighted rarely, but the public continued to call MERR with updates. During the next snowstorm, he was seen by the Killens Pond spillway, where he spent hours feeding and riding the downstream current while he floated on his back. He was feeding well and seemed to be in good condition, but rescuers realized it was becoming less likely Phil would make the trek back to the bay.

With the weather warming, and more people using the area, MERR ramped up plans to capture and rescue Phil, who had developed an eye irritation, likely due to the lack of salinity in the water, Thurman said.

Phil wandered into an offshoot of the stream and got stuck in the mud, offering rescuers the best chance to successfully capture Phil.

The seal was successfully netted and taken from the area, despite his best efforts to escape, thanks to the help of 20 MERR volunteers, two staff members from the National Aquarium animal rescue program and a biologist from the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control.

“It was a challenging rescue to be sure, and getting the heavy animal out of the wooded area of briars and fallen trees was an arduous task, but well worth the effort,” Thurman said. “We hope he will soon be released and continue his happy life back in the ocean where he belongs.”

Phil was taken to the National Aquarium in Baltimore for assessment and treatment of any possible conditions he might have, Thurman said.

For more about MERR, go to www.merrinstitute.org.