HAMPTON, N.H. (WHDH) - Cheers erupted as Mack the harp seal waddled back into the ocean in New Hampshire.
The seal was found in February on Hampton Beach.
“He was rescued because he was critically dehydrated. He was eating sand on the beach,” said Ashley Stokes, rescue manager for the Seacoast Science Center.
Mack was taken to the National Marine Life Center where marine biologists found rocks in his stomach.
After spending time in the center, Mack started to gain back his strength. Caretakers said he began to eat fish on his own and gained about eight pounds in four weeks.
Marine officials said it took Mack a few minutes to make his way down the beach, but they expect that he will be okay.
“He does have a flipper tag on him now, so if he does show up on another beach, it does have a unique number to him, so we know where he came from and his back story, just in case he were to need help again,” said Stokes.
Marine officials added that harp seals in the area are starting to migrate back to the arctic.
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