Oh Baby: Mystic Aquarium Offers Prize To Baby Born Closest To Pup

This June, Mystic Aquarium is expecting a very special arrival: a new harbor seal pup. To celebrate the birth, the aquarium partnered with Women and Infant's Hospital and will offer the family of the baby born closest to the pup a free year's membership. The announcement appropriately came on Mother's Day, celebrating the first pregnancy of Pearl, a rescued harbor seal.

Pearl has been at the aquarium since 2012, when she was rescued after becoming stranded in Bar Harbor, Maine shortly after her birth. She was given round-the-clock care for her first few weeks of life, and after months of rehabilitation experts determined she would be best suited to a life in captivity, joining the aquarium's seal habitat just before Christmas of that year.

Now fully grown, Pearl is only weeks away from the birth of her first pup.

"This is Pearl’s first pregnancy and we are thrilled to experience this exciting time with her and be part of some wonderful memories one lucky expecting family at Women & Infants is sure to make at Mystic Aquarium," said Dr. Jen Flower, the chief clinical veterinarian at Mystic Aquarium.

As her due date draws closer, Pearl is once again under constant supervision, with aquarium officials promising to keep the public updated on her progress on social media.

"There is nothing more special than the start of a new family, and we are delighted to be able to provide one family with the opportunity to enjoy all that Mystic Aquarium has to offer through this partnership," said Matt Quin, the chief nursing officer at Women & Infants Hospital.