National Geographic Kids Chapters: Rhino Rescue: And More True Stories of Saving Animals. National Geographic Kids
repair. Miles had to cut away nearly two-thirds of Honey Girl’s tongue. The next few days after the surgery would be critical. No one knew if Honey Girl would survive.
Honey Girl was moved to an empty pool to recover. For two days after the surgery, she barely moved at all. Michelle didn’t know if Honey Girl was ready to swim yet, so they kept the tank empty of water.
Honey Girl was weak and dehydrated. Michelle injected fluids under her skin to rehydrate her. She gave her more pain medication to soothe her swollen tongue. None of these treatments seemed to help.
On the third day, Michelle filled the empty pool with water. As soon as the water was high enough for her to float, Honey Girl started swimming. Michelle and the aquarium staff were thrilled to see her moving again. But Michelle was also cautious (sounds like CAW-shus). She knew Honey Girl was weak. She made sure that a staff member was always nearby, in case Honey Girl struggled in the water or started to sink.
But instead of showing signs of weakness, Honey Girl seemed to grow stronger in the water. She also tried to bite her caretakers with her sharp teeth. This was a very good sign. It meant that Honey Girl was responding the way a wild animal should when near humans.
Now they needed Honey Girl to start eating again to gain back her strength. Michelle used a tube to feed Honey Girl a meal of pureed (sounds like pure-AID) herring and water. It was like drinking a fish smoothie!
The next day, Michelle put a small live fish in the pool. Honey Girl ignored it. She has to be hungry, thought Michelle. Is she in pain? Does it hurt to eat? Or maybe Honey Girl was just uncomfortable catching food with people around.
Unlike other seal species, monk seals spend most of their lives alone. The only time female monk seals gather in groups is when they are giving birth or nursing their pups. Since her rescue, Michelle had made sure that Honey Girl was never left alone. Maybe that’s what she needed now.
Thanksgiving had arrived. The aquarium staff members were eager to be home celebrating with their families. Michelle thought this would be a good day to test her idea and give Honey Girl some time alone. She put fresh fish in Honey Girl’s pool and hoped for the best.
A Hawaiian monk seal eats a lot, but first it has to catch its meal. Monk seals can dive 1,500 feet (457 m) to hunt for food. Usually they make dives of less than 200 feet (61 m), though, to forage on the seafloor. A typical dive lasts about 6 minutes. On deeper dives, they can hold their breath for as long as 20 minutes.
Monk seals aren’t picky eaters. They eat a variety of foods, depending on what they find. Squid, octopuses, eels, and many types of fish are all on the menu. They also eat crustaceans (sounds like kruh-STEY-shuns), like crabs, shrimp, and lobsters. A monk seal can eat up to 10 percent of its body weight in food each day.
Michelle spent the day at home with family. But she could not stop thinking about Honey Girl. Monk seals are not picky eaters. But would her injuries prevent her from eating even small fish?
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