Chappy, a grey seal pup whose wanderings onto the streets of New Haven won the hearts of citydwellers and made him a viral social media star, has died.
The cause was digestive disease, according to Mystic Aquarium, where Chappy was being treated at the Animal Rescue Clinic.
Chappy was born just a few weeks ago, according to experts, to his seal mother and his seal father. He showed up wandering the streets of Mill River neighborhood on Feb. 16. Police found him there, and he was transferred to Mystic. A police social media posting was picked up nationwide and earned Chappy media coverage in outlets including The New York Times.
We don’t know his real name, or whether he had any brothers or sisters, or where he spent his early days in the water. Still, our city — and our state, and our country, and our world — fell for him immediately, the bug-eyed weanling grey seal pup who was curious enough to be found on Chapel Street, far from anything he had ever known.
Experts have said that grey seals have been found in our coastal waters, throughout the North Atlantic Ocean, and that they come ashore to sit in the sun and rest on rocks. Sometimes they get confused, and they can end up stranded.
When police found Chappy in New Haven, he was underweight and more than a quarter-mile away from water.
Luckily, Chappy was able to see at least two beautiful Connecticut communities in his time here — our Elm City, and maritime town of Mystic, where aquarium experts began their work preparing Chappy for his return home. He enjoyed a diluted fish diet, and the hope was that he would reach 35 pounds and begin adjusting to natural feeding before his release, months later.
But Chappy’s immune system began to show signs of weakness. “Like human babies, young seal pups are more susceptible to infections as their immune system has not reached its full strength,” Mystic Aquarium announced in a post, updating his hundreds of thousands of followers on his status.
As experts continued treating Chappy’s pneumonia and gastrointestinal issues, people around the world encouraged him. “Cheering you on from Australia!” one commenter wrote, while another said, “Chappy, You must channel you inner Lou Seal and Northlands!”
Chappy made improvements — even reportedly giving his caretakers some “sass” in late February. But in the end, he submitted to his eternal rest.
“His intestines were twisted around the mesentery, cutting off blood supply to a large portion of the gastrointestinal tract,” Mystic Aquarium wrote announcing his death Monday in a Facebook post, which already had thousands of emotional reactions just an hour later.
“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.”
Mystic made it clear that Chappy was surrounded by love until the end.
Chappy is survived by legions of social media fans who followed his journey. Donations in his memory can be sent to Mystic Aquarium’s Animal Rescue Program.