Sourced from npr
Writed by Rachel Treisman
The big-eyed gray seal pup who wandered away from home and into the internet's hearts has died, just over two weeks after he was rescued from downtown New Haven, Conn.
The Mystic Aquarium, where he was undergoing treatment, announced on Monday that he had succumbed to gastrointestinal issues.
"It's with the heaviest of hearts that we share the passing of Chappy, the gray seal pup we had been treating in our Animal Rescue Clinic," it said on social media.
Chappy got his name after a police department naming contest. It's a nod to the fact that the seal was rescued near Chapel Street, a pizzeria-rich area about a mile from Yale University's campus and several blocks from the nearest coastline.
Experts have said he likely followed his instincts away from the Long Island Sound— and potential threats like bad weather and other seals — but got lost as he ventured deeper and deeper into the city. He was spotted a few times in the New Haven area in the days before his rescue on Feb. 16.
The aquarium said he was estimated to be only a few weeks old, and found to be "lethargic, dehydrated and in thin condition," weighing a mere 28 pounds (compared to the average newborn gray seal's 35 pounds).
