Zoologists Vyacheslav Alekseev and Elena Andrievskaya have developed their own method of rehabilitation of gray seal and ringed seal puppies. Both of these species are listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation. The Center for the Study and Conservation of Marine Mammals is the only specialized site in Russia in the Baltic Sea where seals and ringed seals can receive veterinary care.
The cubs arrive at the Center exhausted, with severe lesions of lice and parasites, with hypothermia or vice versa, with overheating. And they cannot survive without human help.
Now the Foundation is in the midst of the so-called graduation season, when pinnipeds are released into the wild. The story of how the torpedo seal, as it was nicknamed by Fontanka journalists, sailed into the Gulf of Finland, spread all over the local media. A gray exhausted seal was found in the spring near the village of Peski, it needed serious treatment.
"At the release, the seal thought that everyone around was going to attack him. He looked around for a long time, then slowly got out of the cage and ran into the water, as we like, quickly and torpedo-like," Vyacheslav Alekseev and Elena Andrievskaya, the founders of the foundation, told reporters.
And there are a lot of such stories. In June, they helped the world's smallest rescued seal, Ladoga, return to Lake Ladoga.
"The biggest problem of these animals is abnormally warm winters. They have to raise their offspring in snow-covered shelters for two months, but the ice melts, the cubs fight back and, if they are lucky, get to us," says Elena Andrievskaya.
"In 2014, we had about 200 dead animals in our region. And now they are dying. This is mainly due to fishing nets and as a result of poaching. The animals swim into the sea for fish, but they cannot come back out. The oxygen is running out, and they don't have enough time to figure out how to get out," Vyacheslav Alekseev, director of the Friends of the Baltic Seal Foundation, said in an interview.
According to him, the population of the Baltic ringed seal is rapidly declining: in forty years, two hundred of four thousand individuals have remained in the Gulf of Finland. That is why, almost 18 years ago, a biologist couple decided to take on the task of preserving this species.
"We sent our phone number to the Ministry of Emergency Situations so that they would call us if they found a seal. The information spread to the emergency services of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region. Soon we took the first seal with a damaged fin to the dolphinarium, took the second one home and literally put it in its own bath. We were shocked at how emotional and intelligent this animal is, much smarter than ordinary pets. They have developed facial expressions, they understand human speech," Vyacheslav Alekseev continues.
Today, the Center for Assistance to Marine Mammals listed in the Red Book of Russia is the only one of its kind. Biologists work on donations, sponsors help. Since 2009, more than 160 rare seals have been released into the sea, and their survival rate has been more than 95%, which is one of the best indicators in the world.