At Boston aquarium, a rubber duck hug is training for a harbor seal

(20 Feb 2026) FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: 4639028 ASSOCIATED PRESS Boston - 20 February 2026 1. Medium of Reggae the seal working with trainer 2. Wide of Reggae swimming ++PARTIALLY COVERED++ 3. SOUNDBITE (English) Tom Smith, 13-year-old visiting the New England Aquarium: "They're obviously very, very food motivated. I think it was cute how the seals respond to whatever the trainers tell them to do, and just really cute." 4. Various of Reggae ++PARTIALLY COVERED++ 5. SOUNDBITE (English) Rebekah Miller, Manager of the New England Aquarium: "Reggae is 33-years-old and we describe his personality as very mellow, he's a very easy going guy, he goes with the flow and he loves attention from people, so he's one of our best meet-and-greet or encounter animals because he just loves to interact." 6. Various of Reggae with trainer ++COVERED++ 7. SOUNDBITE (English) Rebekah Miller, Manager of the New England Aquarium: "So Reggae actually learned a behavior called 'find it' with these ducks where we show him one duck and we ask him to match that item and find that same duck somewhere else in the habitat." 8. Medium of Reggae with trainer ++COVERED++ 9. SOUNDBITE (English) Rebekah Miller, Manager of the New England Aquarium: "Enrichment can be essentially anything that enhances the psychological and physical well-being of the animal and can really promote species-appropriate behaviors with them as well." 10. Various of Reggae with trainer ++COVERED++ 11. SOUNDBITE (English) Tom Smith, 13-year-old visiting the New England Aquarium: "I think the rubber duckies were really funny because you never expect a seal to hug a giant rubber ducky." 12. Wide of Reggae with trainer STORYLINE: A video of Reggae, a 33-year-old Atlantic harbor seal at the New England Aquarium, hugging and fetching a rubber duck has drawn attention on social media. But trainers say the playful routine is part of a structured enrichment program designed to keep seals mentally and physically engaged. Reggae practices memory and problem-solving through exercises like matching objects placed around his rocky-shore habitat. "We describe his personality as very mellow, he's a very easy going guy, he goes with the flow and he loves attention from people, so he's one of our best meet-and-greet or encounter animals because he just loves to interact," Rebekah Miller, Manager of the New England Aquarium said. Aquarium officials say the sessions also help build trust between animals and trainers. The aquarium’s harbor seals, many born there, often live longer than their wild counterparts, a longevity the institution attributes to veterinary care, training and daily enrichment activities. =========================================================== Clients are reminded to adhere to all listed restrictions and to check the terms of their licence agreements. For further assistance, please contact the AP Archive on: Tel +44(0)2074827482 Email: info@aparchive.com. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...