Sea lions poisoned at Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach

CALIFORNIA -- The search is on for whoever poisoned sea lions being treated at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach.

Laguna Beach police say someone poured large amounts of chlorine into a salt water holding pool, injuring sea lions - some of which were ready for release.

More than 400 sea lion pups have been rescued this year alone by Pacific Marine Mammal Center. Most were brought in because they were malnourished and needed to be nursed back to health.

 

It was the first attack at the nonprofit center in its over 40-year history. Detectives believe the suspect entered the center between 8 p.m. April 27 and 6 a.m. April 28.

The injured sea lions pups are considered evidence in an ongoing criminal investigation.

"The injury was what is known as a corneal ulceration of the eye," said Keith Matassa, former director of the Pacific Marine Mammal Center. "It's due to chemicals burning the eyes."

Police are not saying how the suspect broke into the facility, only that they poured a large amount of chlorine into the water filtration system where 17 sea lion pups were already being rehabbed.

"It's hard for all of us. Our volunteers and staff have taken these animals from near death and rehabbed them back and gotten them ready to go back in the wild, and to have this happen right before they're ready for release, it's shaken the staff," Matassa said.

Eight pups have healed, but seven still need continued treatment and will be kept for at least four more weeks

Police are reviewing surveillance video from the property and nearby properties in an effort to identify the suspect and bring him or her to justice.

The Marine Mammal Center has hired a security guard overnight as a result. They do hope these animals will make a full recovery and be able to be release.

The suspect can expect to face animal cruelty charges, which carries a $20,000 fine and a year in prison.

Anyone with information is urged to call Laguna Beach detectives at (949) 497-0377 or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) hotline at (800) 853-1964.

(KGO-TV Bay Area - May 6, 2015)

Malnourished sea lion found hidden under car in San Francisco

CALIFORNIA -- This adorable sea lion pup was rescued after he escaped the ocean and was found exploring the streets of San Francisco earlier this week.

The young sea lion, which was named ‘Rubbish’ by animal shelter volunteers, was found hiding underneath a car in the Marina District of San Francisco on Thursday evening.

Poor little guy!

 

After police and animal rescue crews were called to the scene, the plucky mammal was reluctantly coaxed from the vehicle, with amazed passers-by filming the dramatic rescue.

But it isn’t the first time that the sea lion pup ventured away from the ocean, with reports suggesting that Rubbish was found washed up on the shore earlier this year, suffering from pneumonia and severe malnourishment.

Looking much better, he'll soon be released back to the wild

This time around, he was released back into the wild after a big feed resulted in him gaining a healthy 17 pounds.





He’ll now be kept under observation by volunteers, but environmentalists have warned that his plight is part of a bigger problem – with hundreds of abandoned sea lion pups washing up on the Californian shores this year due to diminishing food sources.

(Metro - May 2, 2015)

Mendocino County Sheriff's deputies rescue wayward sea lion pup, give him a ride back to the sea

CALIFORNIA -- Northern California deputies rescued a sea lion pup that waddled about a quarter-mile from the ocean, snapping some photos of the wayward but healthy critter before driving it back to sea.

 

Mendocino County sheriff's deputies patrolling Highway 1, just south of Fort Bragg, spotted an animal moving slowly in dark, dense fog on Sunday. They discovered it was a sea lion pup, measuring about 2 feet long and weighing about 20 pounds with a tag attached to its front flipper.

The animal was friendly with the deputies, rubbing against their legs for attention.

 

 

 

They contacted the Marine Mammal Center in the San Francisco Bay Area, and officials there identified the pup from its orange tag as having been released from a marine mammal rehabilitation center in Southern California.

The seal lion was found to be healthy.

 

It then climbed into the back of a patrol car, and deputies took some pictures with their new friend, including the sea lion wearing a seat belt, before driving it back to the ocean.

 

(NBC Bay Area - April 23, 2015)

Baby sea lion ‘detained’ by police in adorable photo after wandering into San Diego high school

CALIFORNIA -- California police put this slippery suspect behind bars.

A baby sea lion was ‘detained’ after trespassing into an Imperial Beach high school five blocks from the beach Friday, the San Diego County Sheriff's Office said.

The pup was placed in a squad car as animal control officers and Sea World employees arrived to care for him.

"While deputy sheriffs attempted to interview him as to his activities, he clammed up and requested his lawyer," San Diego County Sheriff's Office said in the statement titled, "The Sheriff Always gets his…Seal?"

But the record number of baby sea lions stranded on California beaches is no laughing matter, experts said.

More than 1,100 sea lion pups were rescued in California between Jan. 1 and March 15. Many were sick or starving.

There has been so much demand for rescue efforts that Sea World had to suspend its sea lion show to care for the animals.
(NY Post - April 11, 2015)

Sea lion has become a regular at fishmonger's shop and will even queue for an hour to pick up some tuna

ECUADOR -- This sea lion is one of the regulars at a fishery as she stands on her flippers patiently queuing up for her fish supper.

The cheeky mammal made her way from the sea to the fish stall and waited for her turn for an hour.
After being given scraps of fish by the generous fishmonger, the sea lion made her way back to the sea.

Sea lion waddles up to stall before getting on her hind legs to see what's on offer

Locals do not touch the sea mammal nor interact with her

These heart-warming pictures were taken by photographer Kristhian Castro, during a visit to Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos, Ecuador.

The 38-year-old Colombian took the fishy photographs at a port a herring's throw from the sea.

Mr Castro said: 'The sea lion is looking for fish scraps left over from the filleting process which is usually found in the fishing port.

'I found it very interesting, I really enjoyed the moment because it's like the sea lion is a customer. I expected to find wildlife in large quantity; it was so surprising to see that the animals there are not afraid of humans.

'It was so funny to observe how it was standing on its back flippers. The sea lion was standing for about an hour. It took several fish scraps and later jumped back into the sea.

'The fish being sold were Wizzard Fish and Bigeye tuna. The fishing stall is close to the sea, just 2½ metres away, and there is a raised platform 1½ metres above the surface of the water. To return to the water, it just jumps in.'

Photos taken during a visit to Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos, Ecuador

 

The fish being sold were Wizzard Fish and Bigeye tuna

Mr Castro said that this isn't a big deal for people who live there, he said: 'For locals it's normal. They are accustomed to the proximity of the wildlife, but they never touch the animals nor interact with them.

'I especially love the photos that show the harmony between man and animals, as a result of the respect for the wildlife in this community.'

(Daily Mail - Oct 27, 2014)

Sheriff's deputies save injured sea lion

CALIFORNIA -- Orange County Sheriff’s Department’s Harbor Patrol deputies helped rescuers save an injured sea lion this morning about a quarter mile outside the harbor entrance.

The sea lion had fishing line wrapped around its neck, and the wounds were infected, said Sgt. John Hollenbeck. The Harbor Patrol office received multiple reports over the past few weeks about the sea lion, which had been spotted on the bell buoy off Corona del Mar.

“When this sort of thing happens, we assist the Pacific Marine Mammal Center by taking their staff out on our boats and helping them try to capture the injured animal so they can treat it,” he said. A rescue attempt last week failed when the sea lion swam away, he said.

“The situation was becoming critical because the line was cutting deep into the sea lion’s neck and becoming badly infected,” he said. “If left untreated, the infection would soon become fatal, so it was vital to catch him today. ”

Sick animals can be skittish and aggressive and very difficult to capture, he said, and several approaches this morning were unsuccessful because the sea lion jumped into the water when the Harbor Patrol boat came too close to the buoy.

Pacific Marine Mammal Center staff suggested they let the sea lion get used to the boat, Hollenbeck said, so the fireboat made several close passes to the buoy without trying to catch him.

“Once the sea lions became accustomed to this, we threw out nets, ensnared him, and wrestled him onto the deck of the fireboat and into a large dog crate – an operation that took three PMMC members and three deputies to complete,” Hollenbeck said.

The sea lion will be nursed to health at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center’s Laguna Beach facility and eventually will be released.

To show thanks for the assistance, the center will name the sea lion after Laguna Beach police officer Jon Coutchie, who was killed in the line of duty on Sept. 21, Hollenbeck said.

“His vitals are really good,” she said. He will be released after several weeks of care, she said.

The rescue, she said, was difficult, although the organization acquired a boat last year in order to save animals who haven’t made it to the beach.

“It’s what we do,” she said. “When animals like this are in trouble, we come to their aid.”

UPDATE: The sea lion is resting comfortably after PMMC staff sedated him and removed the fishing line from his neck, Hollenbeck said.  Melissa L. Sciacca, a spokeswoman for the Pacific Marine Mammal Center, said the sea lion was a male about 3 to 4 years old and was about 100 pounds underweight.

(Corona Del Mar Today - Oct 4, 2013)

Mark Kelly's daughter's dog kills baby sea lion; gun advocates call for background checks on dogs

CALIFORNIA -- Gun advocates are calling for background checks on dogs after former astronaut Mark Kelly’s daughter’s dog killed a baby sea lion.

Kelly, the husband of wounded former congresswoman Gabrielle "Gabby" Giffords, has been campaigning for gun controls, including background checks for gun buyers.

On Saturday, Kelly's daughter was walking her dog on a California beach when the dog bolted, ripping the leash from her hand and fatally attacking a beached baby sea lion.

Video showed Kelly's daughter and two other women struggling for several minutes to pull the dog off the sea lion. Kelly then arrived and shook the dog's head until it released the mammal, which later died.

Yeah, that's a great way to pull your
killer dog off an innocent animal.
Just sit there.

Laguna police said they wouldn't file charges because the dog had been leashed and was legally on the beach. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration also says it doesn't expect to take legal action. Marine animals are protected by federal law.

[If you are not in control of your animal, if it "rips the leash out of your hand" to run and attack and maul something to death then you are in violation of leash laws. You must maintain control over your pet when walking it. Clearly, she did not.

And they struggled "for several minutes" to stop their killer dog? Why are they "struggling" in the first place? Their killer dog should be obedient to their commands. Can you imagine the terror and pain this seal pup experienced while being mauled to death by Kelly's bulldog?]

The gun rights advocates who have commented on Kelly's Facebook page today included several who suggested that background checks be considered for dogs whose owners can't control them, or those that are a threat to the public.

(Denver Channel - March 26, 2013)

San Diego police help wayward sea lion pup find the ocean

CALIFORNIA -- Police officers in San Diego received what some would consider an unusual call for assistance when they were asked to help a wayward sea lion pup find his way back to the ocean.
 

At around 3 a.m Tuesday morning, police received a call regarding a sea lion pup wandering along Ocean Blvd. near Grand Avenue in the Pacific Beach neighborhood of San Diego, California.

By the time officers arrived, the pup had made his way to a parking lot, making himself comfortable under a SUV. Officers attempted to coax the animal out from under the vehicle, but according to 10 News, the pup refused to move.

NBC San Diego reports a police lieutenant finally arrived at the scene with a catch pole, and as another officer slowly backed the SUV away from the animal, the lieutenant was able to snare the pup. Officers then released him at the nearby beach where he finally wandered back into the water.

According to CBS8, the sea lion was not injured during the incident.

(Digital Journal - Jan 29, 2013)