Many of those who have paid a visit to Memorial University’s Ocean Science Centre in Logy Bay are sharing pictures and memories of a long-time resident who passed away this week.

Babette the harp seal passed away on Wednesday. The seal was approximately 39 years old, and was collected by Dr. Jack Lawson off the Magdalen Islands in the spring of 1989.

Some 22,000 people stop by the Ocean Science Centre’s seal viewing platform each year, and Babette was a staple there for more than 30 years.

Retired research assistant aquarist Daryl Jones calls Babette, or Babs, the boss of the seals, and the other seals knew it. Babs was one of the first seals to give birth in captivity and she is survived by her daughter Deane. Her sons Jamie and Lenny passed away a few years ago.

The average life expectancy for harp seals in the wild is about 20 to 30 years.