When it was found, the baby seal still had the umbilical cord attached to its body

Jun 3, 2013 13:18 GMT  ·  By
Baby harbor seal (not pictured) is rescued by conservationists in Atlantic Beach
   Baby harbor seal (not pictured) is rescued by conservationists in Atlantic Beach

A couple of days ago, greenheads working with the Riverhead Foundation rescued a baby harbor seal which they say is not yet one week old.

When found, the baby seal still had its umbilical cord attached to it.

Its rescuers suspect that the seal pup was either abandoned by its mother in Atlantic Beach on purpose, or failed to be reunited with its family after a large crowd surrounded it and made it impossible for its mother to come back for it.

The baby seal, now named Penny, is a female. It weighs just 23 pounds (about 10.5 kilograms), and measures 2.5 feet (0.7 meters) from head to flippers.

The conservationists now looking after it wish to limit her contact with humans as much as possible.

They say that, once Penny gets stronger and grows a bit more, they will return her to the wild.