northern fur seal pup conservation research

Описание: These northern fur seal pups are training to become assistant researchers at the Vancouver Aquarium

The University of British Columbia (UBC) Marine Mammal Research Unit, in collaboration with the Aquarium, is finding out why the northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus) population is declining in Alaska's Pribilof Islands. These pups are joining the Steller sea lions in this important, long-term study. The sea lions have been assisting in this research at the Aquarium since 1993. The success of the sea lion research program now allows for a study of the decline in population of the northern fur seals.

"We know their numbers are getting smaller, but we don't have the data to
determine why. Is their decline related to nutrition or is it associated with changes in the north Pacific as the oceans have become warmer?" asks Dr. Andrew W. Trites, Director of UBC's marine Mammal Research Unit. "We believe the six fur seal pups may hold the key to unlocking this ecological mystery. The pups are vital to the conservation of fur seals and will participate in studies that can only be accomplished with trained animals in a controlled setting."

The fur seals are in this temporary holding area while they get used to their new home and are being closely monitored by the Aquarium's veterinary team.

If you're wondering what part of the Aquarium this is, it's the area where the researchers conduct some of their work - you're getting a behind-the-scenes peek. The big blue round machine you occasionally see on the left is called the metabolic chamber and it calculates how much energy an animal uses up.