The seal pup who was found in the city of New Haven, Connecticut in mid-February has died — but his legacy is far from being over.
The Mystic Aquarium, who took care of the baby seal named Chappy since he was admitted to their rescue clinic on Feb. 16, announced on March 3 that he had died after experiencing “severe” issues with his digestive system.
The aquarium detailed in an Instagram post that while Chappy “initially responded well to treatment,” his caretakers noticed alarming signs that his health was declining after he began a whole fish diet.
“Unfortunately, despite all the efforts, his gastrointestinal issues were too severe to treat, and he succumbed to his disease,” they shared in the caption.
Mystic Aquarium wrote Chappy had mesenteric torsion, explaining “his intestines were twisted around the mesentery, cutting off blood supply to a large portion of the gastrointestinal tract.” While not directly related to Chappy’s immediate cause of death, the aquarium mentioned that “small pieces of plastic were found in his stomach.”
As of March 5, the post announcing Chappy’s death has accumulated over 12,000 likes and 500 comments, with notable Connecticut businesses like famous pizzeria Sally’s Apizza and beer company Two Roads Brewing sending condolences in the comments.
“It gave us that little sign of hope too, that all these people do care about these animals and do want what’s best for them in the ocean.
Sarah Callan Manager of animal rescue at mystic aquarium
But this reaction is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how Chappy made his fans feel.
Sarah Callan, manager of animal rescue at Mystic Aquarium, tells TODAY.com that the response to Chappy’s story has been overwhelmingly positive, starting from the moment the police department posted a picture of him in the streets of New Haven on Feb. 16.
“The fact that he showed up in the city just made the story that much more unique,” Callan says. “I think that’s the part that really caught the the hearts of the local community and the nation and everyone. We were getting messages from Australia, people following his story.”
Callan says police held a naming contest and landed on Chappy, after the street where he was found, Chapel Street. Once the baby seal was in the care of the rescue team at Mystic Aquarium, Callan says officers would show up with pizzas in hand. They, too, had fallen in love with Chappy.
The aquarium posted an update on the seal pup in an Instagram video on Feb. 19, and after that, kept the public in the loop. On Feb. 24, they said that he made a “great step” in eating fish for the first time, and the next day, shared that his “immune system started showing signs of weakness.” Despite signs that his conditions were improving in the days that followed, Callan says he went “downhill really fast.”
“These types of cases are really difficult to diagnose,” she says. “Once they get that torsion, it’s really hard. There’s not a really great prognosis for cases like that, so not something we saw coming.”
And so, the aquarium had to share the heartbreaking news that Chappy had died on March 5 — but right after, Callan describes a phone call that one would call “fate.”
“As soon as we put the post up, we actually got a call about a seal that was severely entangled on Block Island,” she shares. “So, we were here until almost midnight last night working on that animal. She has a very deep wound. We were kind of like, ‘Oh, we’re able to help another animal.'”
The work is far from done, but Chappy’s legacy will live on. Callan says they might even plan a special seal release in his honor.
“(Chappy) did have a roommate when he was here, who lived next to him because we don’t have them in the same unit,” Callan explains. “She came in for the same thing — malnourishment surveillance. She was a peanut. She’s a little meatball now … so she was kind of with Chappy throughout his whole stay here.
“I’m hoping that we can do a release in his honor with her, too, and honor his whole legacy,” she continues.
In the meantime, on behalf of the rescue team at the Mystic Aquarium, Callan thanks the public for their outpouring of love for Cappy.
“I can’t say how much we appreciate it and how heartwarming it was just to get all these messages from people. It gave us that little sign of hope too, that all these people do care about these animals and do want what’s best for them in the ocean. From start to finish, it has been a special case for us.”
