PREVIEW

A baby seal named Chappy who was rescued from the middle of the road in New Haven, Connecticut has sadly passed away despite winning hordes of fans with his brave battle for life.

Chappy was found stranded on the streets of New Haven, CT by the New Haven Police Department on 16 February. He was suffering from dehydration, malnutrition, and a mild pneumonia and so was moved down the coast to Mystic Aquarium in the hope he could recover.

However, on Monday (3March2025), staff at the Aquarium announced he had sadly passed away.

“It's with the heaviest of hearts that we share the passing of Chappy, the gray seal pup we had been treating in our Animal Rescue Clinic,” aquarium staff shared on social media.

They added: “He initially responded well to treatment, his condition declined in the subsequent days as he was transitioned onto whole fish and began having digestive difficulties.

“Unfortunately, despite all the efforts, his gastrointestinal issues were too severe to treat, and he succumbed to his disease.”
A necropsy found he had mesenteric torsion, meaning that his intestines were twisted around the mesentery, cutting off blood supply to a large portion of the gastrointestinal tract.

In addition, while unrelated to Chappy's immediate cause of death, small pieces of plastic were found in his stomach highlighting the threat that marine debris, especially plastics, poses to marine animals.

Mourning the brave seal pup, they added: “The Mystic Aquarium staff are proud that they were able to give Chappy the best chance possible and are devastated by this outcome. The reality of working with stranded animals can be tough sometimes, but Chappy was surrounded by love until the very end. Thank you to everyone who has reached out with words of encouragement and support. It means so much to our team.”