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| In the month following the birth, the pup Ninene, which Ryan observed was a female , went through an incredible amount of trauma while being attacked viciously by the young male. In the following file we document the process. It is not a pleasant site and at the time of writing, it is still not certain whether this pup will survive. After 4 weeks, weaning took place and the mother left permanently. On the California pupping beaches, the pups normally stay on the pupping grounds often guarded by a male for 5 to 8 weeks longer, without feeding. Then they get hungry and go to the water to feed on their own in shallow protected water . If Ninene makes it that far it will be quite exceptional. |
| Caution: may not be suitable for children. |
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Video by Garry Fletcher on the afternoon and evening of
February 9 and 10, 2009 from the Marine Centre from camera 3. Click on the arrow to stat the movie ( 19 minutes)
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| These first two videos were taken Feb. 9-11, 2009. Neither parent has gone back in the water to feed since the birth on Jan. 30. They are living entirely on their fat storage. With that there must be enough energy for the mother to supply food for the pup who should be feeding 24x7. If he cannot triple his birth weight before weaning (~23-35 days) he will not survive. According to Corey Bradshaw ( PC year 14) who is now Associate Professor at the Environment Institute School of Earth & Environmental Sciences University of Adelaide, South Australia and the South Australian Research & Development Institute Henley Beach, South Australia .
Our concern is that the young male, who has no competition is making life very difficult for the pup and mother. Normally a colony would have many females and a small number of males that would be intent on breeding in the narrow window of time when the females have to be bred since their gestation is 11 months. The following images and videos illustrate the problem.
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| Male grasping the pup |
Bruises showing on the pup. |
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Video by Garry Fletcher on the evening of February 11, 2009 from the Marine Centre .
Click on the arrow to start the movie.
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BUT----- the story has a happy ending. On April 2, 2009, Ryan sent the following e-mail:
"I haven't seen the elephant seal pup for a couple of days, and I suspect she got into the water on the east side of the island the night of March 30. If she's seen again I'm sure her neck scar will be a good identifier.
This photo is one of the last I have of her from the day before her departure."
A total of 8 weeks had passed since her birth, and 4 weeks since weening. She had a rough start but hopefully will now be able to survive in her own.
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;)
;)
;)
