A Sea Lion pup was saved by the SeaWorld Rescue Team at Mission Beach on Saturday morning.
The rescue took place around 8 a.m. close to San Fernando Place.
“This animal was very undernourished and certainly required assistance,” stated Jeni Smith from the SeaWorld Rescue Team.
Veterinarians promptly examined the pup, and it is recovering well. SeaWorld mentioned that as part of the rescue procedure, the seal will initially be fed formula before gradually being transitioned to fish.
“He likely hasn’t eaten for some time. The aim is to eventually introduce fish and then acclimate him with the other rescue patients currently at SeaWorld,” Smith explained.
The pupping season generally begins in June, and SeaWorld indicated that this pup was probably born last year, making him around 8 months old.
SeaWorld noted that this kind of rescue is quite common. In fact, California Sea Lions are the most frequently rescued mammals.
“It’s pretty standard for us to rescue California sea lions at this time of year. Last year, we rescued around 100 of them,” Smith remarked.
Two members of the SeaWorld Rescue Team who were involved in the response, Kevin Robinson and T.G. Plein, mentioned that the pup is expected to be released back into the ocean in approximately 6 to 8 weeks so that it can be reunited with its species.
If you come across a marine animal that you believe requires rescue, SeaWorld advises contacting their rescue team at 1-800-541-SEAL.
