Andre the Seal
{{Short description | Harbor seal pup loved and cherished by locals}}
File:Harry Goodridge and André the Seal (1974).jpg
André the Seal (May 16, 1961 – July 19, 1986){{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/07/21/us/andre-the-seal-dies-in-maine-delighted-tourists-for-years.html|title=Andre the Seal Dies in Maine; Delighted Tourists for Years|last=AP|work=The New York Times |date=21 July 1986 |access-date=2018-07-03|language=en}} was a male harbor seal pup found off the island of Robinson's Rock in Penobscot Bay, Maine, United States.{{Cite web|url=https://newengland.com/today/travel/maine/portland/andre-the-seal/|title=25 Years with Andre the Seal {{!}} Yankee Magazine Classic|website=newengland.com|language=en-US|access-date=2018-07-03}}
Life
The seal was adopted by Harry Goodridge, who was then a tree surgeon and the Harbormaster of Rockport, Maine.{{Cite web|url=https://www.penobscotmarinemuseum.org/pbho-1/collection/andre-seal|title=Andre the Seal {{!}} Penobscot Bay History Online|website=www.penobscotmarinemuseum.org|language=en|access-date=2018-07-03|archive-date=2023-01-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230120012222/https://www.penobscotmarinemuseum.org/pbho-1/collection/andre-seal|url-status=dead}} Harry raised the pup, hoping the seal would become his scuba diving companion, and expecting that the seal would eventually return to the wild when given the opportunity. Instead, André chose to stay with Harry in Rockport until his death in 1986.
Depictions in media and art
File:Andre the Seal Marker.jpg
The multi-faceted story that developed over the course of their 25-year bond has been well-documented in hundreds of news articles, several books,{{cite book |last1=Goodridge |first1=Harry |last2=Dietz |first2=Lew |title=A seal called Andre |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T7g1S_KodwwC |publisher=Praeger |accessdate=14 September 2014 |isbn=978-0-275-22000-6 |date=1975}} a 1994 feature film released by Paramount Pictures, and a PBS documentary.{{cite news |last1=Curtis |first1=Abigail |title=PBS documentary on Andre the Seal has host family reminiscing about special bond |url=http://bangordailynews.com/2014/08/05/news/midcoast/pbs-documentary-on-andre-the-seal-has-host-family-reminiscing-about-special-bond/ |accessdate=September 14, 2014 |work=Bangor Daily News |issue=August 05, 2014}}
André's fame and popularity even resulted in a memorial statue by Jane Wasey being built in his honour in Rockport, Maine harbour in 1978. In 2018, the limestone statue underwent a $14,000 restoration of the face,
{{Cite web|url=https://www.mainepublic.org/maine/2018-06-11/maine-town-rallies-to-save-statue-of-beloved-andre-the-seal|title=Maine Town Rallies To Save Statue Of Beloved Andre The Seal|website=MainePublic.org|date=11 June 2018 |language=en|access-date=2023-04-14}} which had sustained numerous cracks. Legacy Rockport, a nonprofit, allocated $6,000 for the cause. The remaining funds came from private donors, including $2,500 from a local garden club. {{Cite web|url=https://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/3632|title=Andre the Seal Statue, Rockport, Maine|website=RoadsideAmerica.com|language=en|access-date=2018-07-03}}
See also
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{cite web |author=Edie Clark |author-link=Edie Clark |url=http://www.yankeemagazine.com/article/history/andre-the-seal |title=Andre the Seal - 25 Years with Andre |date=November 1986 |work=Yankee Magazine |accessdate=September 14, 2014}}
Category:Individual seals and sea lions
Category:Individual wild animals
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