Wildlife experts in Tonga are celebrating the successful release of a juvenile long-nosed fur seal back into the wild.
Tris, Dave and Dior Sheen from the tourism company Whale Discoveries heard that a young seal had been found in Tonga and was being kept by some of the local community.
“As soon as we heard from TAWS (Tonga Animal Welfare Society) that a seal had been found by locals on an island and was being held in one of the villages, we knew we had to help,” says Dior Sheen. “We were fortunate to already be on the boat and able to head straight to the island to assist with its release.”
Although long-nosed fur seals have been recorded in Tonga, it’s very rare. They are usually found in southern Australia and New Zealand, thousands of kilometres away.
The Sheens contacted marine mammal wildlife rescue group ORRCA Australia to get advice on whether the juvenile was healthy and well enough to be released back to the open ocean.
“Encouragingly, the seal was alert, responsive and showing the behaviours we would hope to see in a healthy juvenile,” says ORRCA in a statement.
Working with TAWS, the Tongan Government, Darren Rice and the local community, they were able to get the young seal back to the sea and let it swim away.
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“It was a collaborative effort involving many people and organisations to make sure the seal was in good condition and could be safely returned to the ocean to continue its journey,” says Sheen.
The Sheen family aren’t strangers to conservation efforts. They previously highlighted the importance of responsible whale encounters when a rare white humpback calf called Siale was seen in Tonga.
Even so, seeing the seal return to the ocean was an emotional moment. “It was a difficult situation to navigate, so seeing it swim free was such a relief,” she says. “I cried with happiness when we knew the mission had been a success.”
Image and video credit: Dior Sheen
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