After about two months of rehabilitation, Seal Jet is being returned to the water today after being treated for a lungworm infection. And her zookeepers are of course very happy with that, but this time something extra. Jet swims away with a brand new transmitter, which has to monitor her swimming and eating behavior for months.
In the near future Ecomare will be testing a special transmitter together with Wageningen Marine Research to measure the behavior of a seal. In the past, an antenna was used that could follow the seal, but this transmitter can also keep track of how often an animal bites for prey. “This way you can see whether they are actively hunting,” says Hilde Smit, zookeeper at Ecomare.
Ecomare is happy with the channel that will be performed on several seals this year. “Very interesting”, says Hilde, “this way you can also learn what an animal does when it has been sick and goes back into the sea.”
Glue
The transmitter is attached to the hair on the back with a special glue. “The animal is not bothered by the transmitter, it cannot reach it and does not have to lie on it,” said the zookeeper. After a few months, the hairs of the animal fall out and then the transmitter releases again.
The coming period will be an exciting time for Ecomare and Wageningen Marine Research. Then the first data collected on Jet’s transmitter flows in. “We are very curious what Jet will do from today.”