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It is said that the seal drowned when it got sucked to a side drain that takes water out of the pool . The actual drain cannot be seen from the public viewing area. Drains that take water out of the enclosures were responsible for the seal drowning .Zoo officials says the seal was caught near a side drain . The remaining seal swims alone in an adjoining pool as seen from the underwater viewing area . Tragedy has struck the Assiniboine Park Zoo as one of the harbour seals has drowned. "The death of an animal is always hard and this is no exception," director of zoological operations Dr. Brian Joseph said in a statement. "The harbour seals have been a great addition to the zoo and we know our visitors and volunteers will also be grieving this loss."According to the zoo, the harbour seal became engaged with an underwater drain and was unable to free itself. The seal was one of two blind seals the zoo received from the Vancouver Aquarium this past summer. NOV. 25 2014 / KEN GIGLIOTTI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS