Dozens gathered at North Kenai Beach on Thursday to watch the Alaska SeaLife Center’s Wildlife Response Program release a pair of young harbor seals into Cook Inlet.
According to information posted to Facebook by the center, the two seals released last week were Zulu, who was admitted from Anchorage on June 3, and Copa, who was admitted from Homer on June 6. Neither was included in previous releases from the center that may have detailed the circumstances of their rescue, but the center regularly reports rescuing seal pups found abandoned on beaches around Alaska’s southcentral coastline.
A member of the center’s staff told the crowd on Thursday that the center is careful to avoid “kidnapping” any seal. She said they monitor abandoned animals for a full tide cycle in hopes that a mother would return. Often the seals rescued by the center are identified as premature because they have white, “lanugo,” coats that are expected to be shed before birth.
One of the two seals released this year was equipped with a backpack carrying a satellite tag that will allow the center to monitor both her movements around Cook Inlet and other valuable data like diving depth.
The seals were carried from a large Alaska SeaLife Center truck down to the sand, only a few yards from where the waves lapped at the shore. When center staff pulled the cover from two large crates that contained the two seals, the first eagerly proceeded into the water while the second required some motivation from the center’s staff.
The crowd was urged to be quiet to avoid frightening the animals, but watched closely through countless camera lenses as the animals hopped down the beach and into the water — then continued to attentively look out into the distance as two small heads poked out and peered back.
A full recording of the release will be published to the “Alaska SeaLife Center” Facebook page, where more information can also be found.
Reach reporter Jake Dye at jacob.dye@peninsulaclarion.com.
Staff from the Alaska SeaLife Center’s Wildlife Response Program prepare a harbor seal to be released into Cook Inlet at North Kenai Beach in Kenai, Alaska, on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
A harbor seal is released into Cook Inlet by the Alaska SeaLife Center’s Wildlife Response Program at North Kenai Beach in Kenai, Alaska, on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
A harbor seal is released into Cook Inlet by the Alaska SeaLife Center’s Wildlife Response Program at North Kenai Beach in Kenai, Alaska, on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
A harbor seal is released into Cook Inlet by the Alaska SeaLife Center’s Wildlife Response Program at North Kenai Beach in Kenai, Alaska, on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
A harbor seal is released into Cook Inlet by the Alaska SeaLife Center’s Wildlife Response Program at North Kenai Beach in Kenai, Alaska, on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
