Lynda Doughty is the heroine of Maine’s troubled seals. Lynda Doughty grew up in Coastal, Maine. Growing up, Doughty loved to spend time in the Atlantic ocean with the turtles, seals, and whales.
Doughty is passionate about the marine wildlife that lives along the Atlantic coast in New England. Lynda Doughty knew ever since childhood she wanted a career protecting the sea life. As a child, Doughty was amazed and curious about the sea mammal animal’s lifestyle.
In her marine biology studies, Lynda Doughty learned the sea animal’s livelihood was being jeopardized by habitat destruction, water and air pollution, and many more problems. Harbor seals are among the troubled sea life and the most common sea mammal creature along the Atlantic shoreline on the East Coast.
As a marine biologist, Lynda Doughty worked for several years with organizations that provide emergency services for sea mammals that are sick or injured. Some of these animals were entangled in fishing equipment, targeted for harassment, illegal feeding, and getting caught up in ocean debris.
After many state and non-profit agencies designed to help animals closed their doors, Lynda Doughty took over in 2011. Marine Mammals of Maine is a non-profit organization run by Lynda Doughty. In the past decade, Doughty gave medical care to over 3,000 marine animals in need.
The recent COVID-19 pandemic didn’t slow Doughty down in her quest to rescue needy sea animals Doughty and her team fought to keep the doors open for their patients. Rather than close down in March 2020, Marine Mammals of Maine moved into a much larger facility to care for more sea life.
The new facility allows Doughty and her team to care for eight seals at once and expand on long-term care for animals that need longer care. Doughty’s work was more important when another New England animal care facility had temporarily suspended their long-term care during the pandemic.
Lynda Doughty operated 24- an hour-a-day hotline that anyone can call whenever they see a sea mammal animal or turtle in distress or dead. Illness, injury, and death don’t take a day off. Doughty works with deceased whales, seals, sea turtles, porpoises, and more trying to learn more about how to treat animals in the future.
Lynda Doughty is particularly attracted to seals because they remind her of dogs and have a charismatic and funny personality. Doughty gives 100 percent to all her animal patients.
