Unalaska, AK – Two rehabilitated seals will be released back into the wild in Dutch Harbor today after a long journey from the Bering Sea to Seward and back again. Elizabeth Moundalexis, a mammalogist with the Alaska Sea Life Center in Seward, was in Unalaska today showing the young seals - a spotted seal named Dill and a harbor seal named Poppy - to students from Unalaska's schools.

Dill and Poppy were found stranded this spring in Dutch Harbor and Egegik, respectively, and taken to the Sea Life Center, which specializes in rehabilitating animals. The center has released ten stranded sea mammals back into the wild this year. Moundalexis and the other mammalogists outfit each animal with a satellite tag, which allows the center to track its activities for about a year, or until the animal molts and the fur to which the tag is glued falls out.

The two seals will be released into Dutch Harbor at Little South America on Amaknak Island at 6 p.m. tonight.