Two Gray Seal Pups Born at Brookfield Zoo

Guests will be seeing double with the recent additions at Brookfield Zoo. Two gray seals were born on January 9 and 10. The female pups are currently behind the scenes bonding with their mothers, Lily and Tasha, and are practicing their swimming skills in a pool specially designed for the newborns. This modified pool is shallow, which allows the pups to practice navigating in their aquatic environment with easy access out. The pups will make their public debut sometime in early spring.

This is the fourth successful birth for Lily, who turns 16 on January 25. Her previous offspring—all males born in 2014, 2016, and 2017—are currently on breeding loans at other accredited North American zoos. The other pup is the first successful birth for 16-year-old Tasha. The two moms are half-sisters and arrived at Brookfield Zoo in November 2007. The sire of both newborns is 19-year-old Kiinaq (pronounced KEY-knack), who arrived at Brookfield Zoo in 2018. Kiinaq was stranded in the wild and deemed unreleasable when he was only a few months old.