BOSTON (AP) — It looks like pure play: a harbor seal gleefully chasing a rubber duck. But for Reggae at the New England Aquarium in Boston, the toy is part of a training routine meant to keep him learning. Rebekah Miller, the aquarium’s manager of the pinniped area overseeing the Atlantic harbor seals and California sea lions, said enrichment is central to the seals’ daily lives. The aquarium’s Atlantic harbor seals are among its most recognizable residents, living in a 42,000-gallon outdoor exhibit on the front plaza. Many trace their lineage to Hoover, a harbor seal born in 1971 who was raised by a Maine fisherman after he lost his mother.

Source: Daily Sun February 20, 2026 19:43 UTC