Rare Albino Seal Shunned By Its Colony May Need To Be Rescued

A rare ginger seal has been shunned by its colony for its unique appearance, leading scientists to consider stepping in to rescue the pup. Born on the island of  Tyuleny in the sea of Okhotsk, Russia roughly a month ago, the beautiful animal is immediately noticeable against the sea of its more conventionally-colored colony members.

  1. Biologist Vladimir Burkanov first noticed the seal. The pup is partially albino, a fact that’s apparent given its gold-colored fur, pink flippers, and blue eyes. While as humans we can appreciate the animal for its unique beauty, the rest of the colony isn’t sure what to make of it and haven’t exactly been welcoming.
  2. The chances of this happening are incredibly rare. According to scientists, the chances of a fur seal being born albino is 1 in 100,000, so that shows how special this little dude (or dudette) really is. It’s such a shame that the other seals don’t recognize this!
  3. There are signs that the group might eventually accept him. Burkanov told The Siberian Times that all hope is not lost for this seal to stay with its colony and that while the pup doesn’t have many friends and doesn’t seem to be an active member of the community at the moment, it hasn’t been completely rejected yet. “This pup looks well-fed and was very active, so its mother clearly gave it plenty of milk,” he said. “Other seals don’t pay too much attention to it in a somewhat worrying manner, so something is not quite right with it. But it is not getting chased or bitten.”
  4. Sadly, the albino seal likely won’t live very long. According to Burkanov, the seal has very poor eyesight and its chances of ever procreating are slim to none. All that in mind, it’s unlikely that it will live a very long life or have any offspring of its own.
  5. Biologists are ready to step in if they need to. If they do eventually reject the animal completely, scientists will take the animal to a Russian dolphinarium where it can be cared for correctly. For now, here’s hoping it does well in the wild!

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