Milwaukee County Zoo harbor seal dies, surgery complications
"Ringo" the harbor seal (Courtesy: Milwaukee County Zoo)
MILWAUKEE - The Milwaukee County Zoo on Thursday announced the death of "Ringo" the harbor seal, a longtime zoo resident. He died on Nov. 26 during surgery, and the zoo said final necropsy results are expected in a few weeks.
According to the zoo, Ringo, the largest of the zoo's harbor seals, was an estimated 46 years old. He was born in his natural range off the coast of California, and called the Milwaukee County Zoo home for more than four decades.
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The zoo said Ringo had a slowly-progressing chronic eye disease in both eyes since 1985. He was essentially blind and used the touch of his whiskers to navigate, growing familiar with his outdoor and indoor habitat.
Ringo's right eye ruptured in August, creating a hole in the cornea, the zoo said. The rupture site did not heal, and the zoo team determined the eye needed to be removed due to the risk of infection. He was anesthetized on Nov. 26 and experienced complications during the procedure and was unable to be revived. The zoo said anesthesia on seals can be complex at any age due to their unique anatomy and physiological dive response.
"Ringo" the harbor seal (Courtesy: Milwaukee County Zoo)
According to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the combined median life expectancy of a harbor seal living in human care is 23 years old. At 46, Ringo was the second-oldest living harbor seal in an AZA-accredited organization in North America.
The Milwaukee County Zoo still has three harbor seals: 9-year-old Cossette, 3-year-old Mira and 2-year-old Leia. The zoo said it may transfer in a male companion for the remaining seals at a later, undetermined date.
Zoo guests can honor Ringo’s memory by purchasing an enrichment item from the Zoo’s Giving Tree for his daughter, Leia, and the other seals. Monetary donations for harbor seal enrichment are also appreciated.
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More about Ringo
The Milwaukee County Zoo (MCZ) provided the following information about Ringo:
"As an orphaned pup, Ringo first found himself at the former Marineland facility in California. Exactly how he came into human care and in need of rehabilitation is unknown. After a short time there, Ringo arrived at his new and permanent home – MCZ – in 1979. He spent many years in the company of MCZ’s sea lion and later, harbor seal populations. As part of Species Survival Plan® (SSP) breeding recommendations, Ringo fathered five male pups, four of whom are still living at other facilities. His daughter, Leia, was born in 2022 and resides here at MCZ.
"Ringo saw many changes over the years. He was present for the beginning of positive reinforcement training at MCZ and eagerly participated in numerous daily training sessions. Ringo was easy-going, and because of his sweet and calm disposition, he was often the first to work with new members of the animal care team. In fact, he trained with many zookeepers on operant conditioning and marine mammal husbandry.
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"Ringo was also well-known for taking naps at the bottom of the outdoor pool. Harbor seals can hold their breath for up to 30 minutes, and zookeepers responded to more than a few calls from concerned guests who saw him napping underwater.
"Ringo was a particularly large harbor seal, putting on a thick layer of blubber in the fall to insulate from the cold winter ahead. The animal care team monitored him closely to keep him below 300 pounds for the winter and slimmed down to around 200 pounds for the summer. The animal care team fondly recalls how photogenic he was as he molted to a new fur coat each summer, with curly whiskers as the new ones grew in. Those who knew Ringo well will also remember his snoring when in a deep, relaxed sleep or pausing in the doorway for a rubdown by his care team."