Blind rescue seal named Onion makes a splash at Point Defiance Zoo
They say love is blind.
That’s never been more true at Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, where a sightless seal has recently arrived from over 2,400 miles across the country in the name of romance and species conservation.
An 11-year-old blind harbor seal named Onion is making his public debut at the Rocky Shores habitat this weekend, the zoo announced in a press release.
And though he may not be able to see it, Onion’s arrival is already making national headlines.
His story began on the other side of the U.S. when he was rescued from the sandy shores of Herring Cove Beach in Massachusetts in September 2015 at just 17 months old, according to the release.
He was admitted to a marine hospital in Cape Cod for rehabilitation, then later released to Cleveland Metroparks Zoo in Ohio where he stayed for ten years.
After an eye infection during his recovery left him blind in one eye and with a lesion in the other, caretakers determined Onion was unreleasable and removed his eyes for his own comfort.
Despite it all, Onion has thrived under human care. And it’s safe to say he has a pretty sweet set up in Tacoma.
To put it simply, he relocated all the way across the country to mate with the zoo’s two female harbor seals, Riley and Qilak.
The move was part of an Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan, a program developed to ensure the survival of endangered species through captive breeding.
“Qilak and Riley have both successfully raised pups and demonstrated exceptional maternal care,” Rocky Shores Curator Jen DeGroot said in the release. “We’re looking forward to supporting the harbor seal Species Survival Plan’s breeding recommendation and contributing to the long-term health of this population.”
You can catch a glimpse of Onion’s public debut at the zoo’s Rocky Shores habitat between March 27 and 29.
