There are some things in life that just come naturally. Even if you're blind! Visitors can now see the Los Angeles Zoo's newest attraction, but he can't see them. It seems that a blind harbor seal named Alfred, which made its debut Friday, was rescued off the coast of New Jersey nearly a year ago iis adjusting to his new surroundings. He was placed among four female companions at the Sea Life Cliffs habitat near the zoo's entrance and it seems that he still can get his move on!
"He is displaying all the behaviors that we would see in a mating ritual," says zoo trainer Lauren Whittemore. "He is doing everything that he should be doing, so blindness doesn't seem to be affecting that part of nature." Zoo officials say Alfred, who is missing one eye and is blind in the other but otherwise healthy, uses the sensitive nerve endings in his whiskers to find his way around his new home. He weighed a mere 90 pounds when he was found last February, most likely because his blindness kept him from catching fish. He has since doubled in weight, but remains small - harbor seals often reach 300 pounds but the svelt Alfred isn't letting a little blindness stop him from gettin' some!
Due to his blindness Alfred was deemed as non-releasable. The staff of the Marine Mammal Center went about searching for a home for Alfred and found the Los Angeles Zoo in Griffith Park, where, after a quarantine and acclimation period, will make his homr with the four resident female harbor seals. The Zoo hopes to breed Alfred with the females as his blindness should not inhibit his ability to mate.Welcome to LA Alfred. Just remember that some of the women out here are actresses and some of them you may not want to remember in the morning. But hey, you're blind. You don't have to worry 'bout whether she's a two-bagger or not! Just turn on that East Coast charm and do what comes, well, naturally! No eHarmony.com for you!
