New England Aquarium Uses Rubber Ducks as Enrichment Objects for Harbor Seals
When a video of a 33-year-old Atlantic harbor seal named Reggae clutching a rubber duck went viral, millions of viewers saw an undeniably charming moment.
“Ohhh to be a harbor seal with his rubber duckie!” the post’s caption read. “Yes, this might be the cutest thing on your feed all month, but it’s also purposeful enrichment for Reggae!”
Some users on Instagram described the rubber ducks as “emotional support duckies.”
But behind the clip — which garnered nearly 500,000 views and almost 100,000 engagements in less than one month — lies something far more significant: a rigorous, structured enrichment program designed to sustain the cognitive and physical health of animals in long-term captivity.
Reggae lives at the New England Aquarium in Boston, where the institution’s approach to seal care offers a detailed case study in how modern facilities are rethinking animal welfare through science-informed training, voluntary participation, and daily mental stimulation.
Enrichment as a Core Welfare Practice
What looks like play — a seal nuzzling a rubber duck, retrieving a toy, balancing an object on his body — is actually part of a structured enrichment and training regimen that is a core part of daily life for the seals at the aquarium.
Training is designed to stimulate mental activity, maintain physical health and encourage natural behaviors. Key skills being developed include memory, problem-solving and focus. Enrichment helps compensate for things animals would experience in the wild, according to the source material, with a focus on both mental and physical wellbeing.
Trainers use verbal cues — such as “Target” and “Hold it” — paired with positive reinforcement, including fish, touch and scratches. Example behaviors Reggae performs include finding and retrieving objects, nudging items with his nose, holding toys with his flippers and balancing objects on his body.
One particularly illustrative exercise is known as “Find It.” During this exercise, trainers place objects in the exhibit and seals must locate matching items elsewhere — a task that engages memory and problem-solving simultaneously.
The rubber duck, specifically, is a frequently used enrichment object, and Reggae has developed a positive association with it.
“I think he does have a positive association with it, even more so than some of the other objects,” Patty Leonard, the aquarium’s associate curator of pinnipeds, told Boston.com.
Choice and Control: The Philosophy Behind Participation
For advocates concerned with whether captive animals are coerced into performing for public entertainment, one detail stands out in the New England Aquarium’s approach: seals are given “choice and control,” meaning they are not forced to participate.
This voluntary framework means that Reggae’s interaction with the rubber duck — the very footage that captivated social media audiences — was not a commanded trick, but rather an activity the seal opted into. It is a distinction that carries real weight in evaluating institutional animal care practices.
Reggae’s personality aligns naturally with calmer forms of enrichment.
“We describe his personality as very mellow. He’s a very easygoing guy, he goes with the flow and he loves attention from people,” Rebekah Miller, the aquarium’s manager of the pinniped area, told the Associated Press.
“He’s a pretty chill guy,” Mollie Collins, one of the aquarium’s trainers, told Boston.com. “He’s like, ‘Oh, you know, I’d rather go find a rubber duckie.’”
That Reggae prefers calmer activities and is less interested in high-energy behaviors like porpoising or dancing — gravitating instead toward object interaction and engagement with guests through the glass — speaks to how the enrichment program accounts for individual temperament rather than applying a one-size-fits-all protocol.
Longevity Data: What Extended Lifespan Tells Us
One of the most concrete metrics for evaluating captive animal welfare is longevity, and the numbers for the New England Aquarium’s seal program are notable.
Wild harbor seals typically live around 25 years. Aquarium seals often live longer, with many reaching 30–40+ years. That longevity is attributed to veterinary care, structured training and daily enrichment.
Reggae, at 33, is already well beyond the average wild lifespan — a data point that, taken alongside the details of his daily care, suggests the enrichment framework is more than cosmetic.
The aquarium houses five Atlantic harbor seals in a 42,000-gallon outdoor exhibit designed to mimic a rocky shoreline, located on the aquarium’s front plaza. The seals were born at the aquarium and descend from long-term resident seals.
In fact, many of the aquarium’s seals trace their lineage to Hoover, a famous harbor seal born in 1971 and raised by a Maine fisherman after losing his mother.
Hoover spent 14 years at the New England Aquarium before dying in 1985 and became known for mimicking human speech.
Reggae, for his part, appears unfazed by his viral attention. He continues to interact with guests by swimming toward the glass and retrieving objects near them — mellow, easygoing and, by every available account, content with his rubber duck.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
