Sickly sea lion pup found sleeping in booth inside La Jolla restaurant

[jpak]

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-sickly-sea-lion-restaurant-20160205-story.html

Employees at the Marine Room in La Jolla had an unexpected guest Thursday morning.

A sickly sea lion pup was found sleeping in one of the restaurant’s booths.

Restaurant employees found the pup, which is about the size of a small dog, on the seat near a window overlooking the ocean about 8 a.m., said manager Matt Caponi. Employees called a SeaWorld rescue team, and the pup was awake and moving around by the time the team arrived.

The 8-month-old female California sea lion was malnourished and dehydrated, SeaWorld officials said. At 20 pounds, she is considered a “micro pup,” meaning she is half the normal weight for her age.

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http://www.trbimg.com/img-56b4cf60/turbine/la-me-ln-sickly-sea-lion-pup-found-sleeping-on-001/750/750x422

[Skinner]

1. That picture is incredibly cute.

Hope the pup gets better.

[KamaAina]

2. Sad to say, she is far from alone

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10026323828

Only a few months after thousands of walruses found refuge from the ice-less ocean on the Alaskan coast, hundreds of sea lion pups off the coast of California are stranded through central and southern California’s shores—in Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties—for essentially the same reason: The ocean is too warm.

They are starving and they are dying....

This means that about 0.4% of the total California sea lion’s population, currently estimated at around 300,000 individuals, has been affected. It is yet unclear how many of the stranded pups have died, because it’s hard to tell the number of those who may have died before reaching the coast.

At the moment, 640 sea lions are hosted in seven rescue facilities selected by the NOAA along the West coast. The remaining have been released to the wild after rehabilitation, or have died.

[Herman4747]

3. I wonder how the sea lion pup got up onto the seat. n/t

[jpak]

4. That's what I was thinking

I suspect a hoomin friend...

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

17. The School for the Deaf made reservations and got her there

You might say she was "signed, sealed and delivered."

[GreatGazoo]

5. Wait...so they called Sea World?

THAT is the "rescue" ?!

[haele]

6. In San Diego, it is. They're associated with the Scripps Institution at UCSD.

There's a lot of Marine Mammal and Oceanographic Biology and Ecology research work at the park location that isn't open to the public.

San Diego "Sea World" is one of the few locations that actually has large ocean water pens in Mission Bay for rescue and rehabilitation - which they use as a major tax write-off, of course. There's a lot of rescue, recuperation, and re-release done there.

It's rather odd knowing that they're doing rehabilitation and re-release into the wild of dolphins, seals, sharks, small cetations, and other local marine creatures just half a mile away from their captive animal shows.

Haele

[Flaxbee]

15. Two things:

1) there is also a non-profit marine mammal scientific research and rehab group affiliated with Scripps and Sea World that provides care; they'd love donations: http://hswri.org/

2) A family member is a veterinarian for Sea World and I have known a few of the other vets; regardless of your opinion about animals in captivity, I guarantee you that the animals at all SW parks receive incredible, top-notch care.

[haele]

16. I agree with you about the vets.

Regardless of my feelings about animals in captivity. I also admire the San Diego Zoo and their conservation work.
I've been to several other Sea World Parks; while the public side of the park is the same as the others, the vet and research side is very competent; equal to the best academic sites around.

Haele

[gcomeau]

20. One more thing...

2) A family member is a veterinarian for Sea World and I have known a few of the other vets; regardless of your opinion about animals in captivity, I guarantee you that the animals at all SW parks receive incredible, top-notch care.

And that's a lot like saying a prisoner in a federal penitentiary has good meals and the on site medical staff are extremely competent.

Doesn't really make up for the whole "living in captivity" part though does it? Except in the case of the inmate they're there for cause (hopefully) while in the case of the animals they're there for the entertainment of people.

[Herman4747]

7. Video here from the BBC:

Last edited Mon Feb 8, 2016, 03:50 PM - Edit history (1)

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-35499932 (VIDEO NO LONGER AVAILABLE)

[CrawlingChaos]

9. Thank you

It was good to be able to see her beginning to receive treatment. Although what a forlorn sound she made when she was moved (probably just a normal sea lion sound and I'm being overly emotional).

[CrawlingChaos]

8. Oh the poor baby!!!

That picture is killing me! I hope there will be follow-ups with news of her recovery. I know that image is going to haunt me...

I wish none of them had to suffer

[lonestarnot]

11. I can't look.

[Liberal_in_LA]

10. Awww. Poor thing

[SunSeeker]

12. These poor starving babies have been washing up all up and down the So. Cal. coast.

Here's one emaciated pup that washed up by where I live in Seal Beach (I snapped the picture with my cell phone):




The Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro came to get her. That is who rescues them up at our end of the coast.

Here's their website, with pictures of how they care for them:

http://marinemammalcare.org/

You can donate at the link. They can really use the money!

[a la izquierda]

13. I miss living in L.A. and seeing the seals just hanging out.

Thanks for the info about the marine mammal rescue. I just donated.

[SunSeeker]

14. Thank you, a la izquierda!

[Triana]

18. Ummm....

http://marinemammalcare.elevadev.org/cgi-sys/suspendedpage.cgi

[SunSeeker]

19. Don't know where you got the bad link. The one in my post above works.

The MMCC can also be reached by foot and by phone:
3601 S Gaffey St, San Pedro, CA 90731
Open today 10AM–3PM
[phone]