One of Como Zoo's gray seals dies after eye surgery

A 3-year-old gray seal at Como Zoo in St. Paul has died after undergoing eye surgery.

The zoo announced the death of the seal, named Stanley, on its website and social media Tuesday.

"Today we are mourning the passing of Stanley," part of the post read. "Stanley will be greatly missed."

Stanley arrived at Como in 2021 after being rescued from the Atlantic Ocean by the Mystic Aquarium's Animal Rescue Program in Connecticut, which takes in about 150 stranded animals annually.

When he was found, Stanley had a piece of plastic twine wrapped around his neck, which caused a deep wound and severe inflammation and a perforation of the cornea. The seal was deemed bilaterally blind and unreleasable into the wild.

Stanley was transferred to Como, where he was given twice-daily medications to treat calcium deposits growing on the surface of his eyes. An ophthalmologist described the deposits as "a feeling akin to blinking over sandpaper," zoo officials said.

During surgery, a team of University of Minnesota anesthesiologists and Como zookeepers placed a protective covering over the surface of Stanley's eye to prevent the deposits from growing back.

Zoo officials deemed the procedure a success, but when the surgical team tried to wake Stanley, they found he had gone into a "dive response," which includes slowing of the heart and shunting of blood away from his extremities, the zoo's announcement said.

"Seal anesthesia and surgery is a risky procedure," the zoo's announcement said. "Despite all efforts, Stanley never woke up from surgery. The team is heartbroken."