Victoria— Harbour Air Seaplanes is marking its 5th year of airlifting abandoned or injured seal pups to rescue centres where they are brought back to health and then released back into the ocean.
The airline began partnering with the Vancouver Aquarium’s Marine Mammal Rescue Centre in 2010 to save the animals. Since then, 324 seals have been airlifted to the rescue centre where they receive medical care before being released.
“It’s a unique West Coast service that we bring to the coast,” said Randy Wright, Harbour Air’s Executive Vice President of Corporate Business Development. “Passengers are sometimes a bit surprised when they find out they are flying with a seal in the back of the plane. But everyone appreciates that saving seals is the right thing to do.”
To mark the fifth anniversary of the program, Harbour Air invites the media to Cates Park in North Vancouver where the latest rescued seal pup will be released. To honour Harbour Air’s airlift program, which is offered without charge, the Vancouver Aquarium’s Marine Mammal Rescue Centre has named one of the seal after one of Harbour Air’s pilots, Peter Reid.
“As the world’s largest seaplane airline, we are very connected to the coast and our environment,” said Wright. “That’s why we invest in the airlifting of injured baby seals. And it’s why we are also a carbon neutral airline, offsetting all our flights and operations by buying carbon offsets to protect the environment.”
