Elephant Seal pup before, Photo by Annika Galloway

On March 25, 2021 the Marine Mammal team headed to Leo Carrillo beach in Malibu following the report of a sickly Northern Elephant Seal pup. The reporting party first spotted the animal as the sun was setting the night prior and was so concerned about the animal that he returned the next morning to find the pup in the same place high up on the beach rocks. When our rescue team arrived, they found a severely dehydrated, malnourished and injured three-month-old female Northern Elephant Seal pup. She had tar patches over approximately 10% of her body, a bloody muzzle, and an injured left eye.

Elephant Seal pup after,
Photo by Annika Galloway

During the injured Elephant seal’s intake exam, she weighed 35kg (approximately birth weight) although she was three months old. Along with an overall poor body condition, the highest concern was lack of movement of the inner left eyelid, which functions to remove surface debris from the eye. Additionally, the eye coloration was severely cloudy with a red hue deep in the tissue base, which could have represented an infection behind the eye. If uncontrolled, there is a risk of infection spreading throughout the body. In cases like these, removal of the eye is a consideration if we were not able to control the spread of the infection. Northern Elephant Seals forage both by sight and feel. Particularly at depth, these extremely sensitive vibrissae (whiskers) sense remote movements in the water and take over for vision while foraging, so while two perfect eyes are best, the seals can be successful with only one.

After three-weeks in care, our patient had responded so well to medical and nutritional care that we were able to discontinue antibiotic treatments and move her into a pool to work on self-feeding whole herring. Now after two months of supportive care, she has mastered eating underwater, is approaching a healthy release weight, and most exciting, the left eye infection resolved leaving only a small corneal scar with regained vision. Elephant seal pup #21-041 should return to her ocean home in early June!

By the Marine Mammal Team

Guadalupe Fur Seal pup
By Heather Henderson

Our marine mammal team performs the majority of our rescues between February and May each year. Generally, winter and summer reports are for California Sea Lions in distress, and spring is heavily weighted with Elephant Seals in need of our help. Along with these, we had a few noteworthy responses this season.

In February a seven-month-old Guadalupe Fur Seal stranded on Leo Carrillo beach, lethargic and severely malnourished. Guadalupe Fur Seals are listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). In the 1970s the Marine Mammal Protection Act was put into legislation and while it aided Califor­nia Sea Lions and Northern Elephant Seals, Guadalupe Fur Seal populations remain low. Further complicating their recovery, since 2015, these Seals have been experiencing an Unusual Mortality Event, high die-off numbers without a clear cause. Each year we may only receive one call for Guadalupe Fur Seals, whereas a typical year will bring 297 of calls for other marine mammals. For ESA species like these, special permitting is required to perform long-term rehabilita­tive care; thus we stabilized the patient then transferred her to the appropriate facility for the remainder of her treatment.

Two Elephant Seals stranded in Malibu this July. The timing of this event is unusual because in our region elephant seals strand in high numbers during March and April, with a few stragglers in May and June. CWC has never responded to a malnourished elephant seal pup in the month of July, let alone two, until this year. We were able to stabilize both and offer them a chance to thrive. It is unclear why they beached this late. It is possible a late birth set them back.

Thresher Shark
By Kari Childers

The most unique response this year was for a recently expired Thresher Shark on Carbon Beach in August. This is a relatively rare sighting, as they tend to be a pelagic, or off-shore species. Seeing one up close is a memorable experience. While not a marine mammal, our team responded to the report of the beached shark. After confirming it was dead, we reached out to the California State University Long Beach Shark Lab. The shark biologists mentioned that there had been a handful of Thresher shark strandings along the California coastline during the same week, and they were collecting the animals to examine and hopefully determine the reason for this unusual activity.

We continue to be available throughout the year to help animals like these as well as our usual response for marine mammals and water birds at the beaches of Malibu.

By Mike Remski, Marine Program Manager

Sea Lion in Foreground with a Shark Bite
Photo by Mackenzie Glass

The mere mention of Sharks in our coastal waters usually conjures up nightmarish images of horror movies of the past.  However, Sharks have always been in our local waters and normally don’t cause any harm — to humans that is.  But lately Shark predatory behavior has been a topic of concern when it comes to Sea Lions, specifically for the rescue team at CWC.

Normal diets of large Sharks, like the Great White and the Mako, include mammals and fish and Seals and Sea Lions are at the top of the menu.  And although this is the normal circle of life, it can be a difficult situation not only for the animals who survive an attack but for the rehabbers as well.

This past July, CWC has responded to five Sea Lions with injuries caused by sharks.  This is on par with what we would normally see in an entire year.

It’s important to understand that the increase in shark-bitten stranded Sea Lions does not necessarily reflect an increase in the number of Sharks present.  After all, we are only able to count the number of Sea Lions that survive the attack and make it to shore, while the ones that die at sea and/or become food, will not be accounted for.  Also, there is no way to tell where the attack occurred, since a wounded Sea Lion can swim many miles before beaching.

So why the increase in stranded Sea Lions with Shark bites this year?  There are a few theories, and although no one really knows for sure, it would make sense that the non-lethal bites are being delivered by young or inexperienced Sharks.  But whatever the reason, a live stranded Sea Lion suffering from Shark bites will most likely not do well without help, and that’s where CWC steps in.

Such was the case with CWC patient 19-151.  The pup stranded on June 9^th with multiple wounds to her neck and hip area.  She was one of the lucky ones, as the injuries did not puncture any major arteries or destroy too much tissue.  With the help of medications and wound treatments, the CWC staff and volunteers were able to nurse her back to health.  After seven weeks of rehabilitation, she was ready to return to her ocean home and was released at Nicholas Canyon on July 31^st.

Since July, these shark bite occurrences have tapered off, which is good news for the rescue team and it also seems to calm the nerves of the general public.  But as long as you’re not a Sea Lion, you really have very little to worry about.

By Stephany Lewis, DVM, Veterinarian

The Whale stranded on Zuma Beach
Photo by Gaston Otero

In January, CWC’s Marine Mammal Rescue Team, led by Mike Remski, responded to a call about a small stranded whale on Zuma Beach in Malibu. The small whale was an adult female Pygmy Sperm Whale, CWC’s first live Whale stranding response. With the help of a team of volunteers and lifeguards, the animal was moved from the beach to the CWC rescue van for further assessment.

On physical examination, the whale was in good body condition, but had several superficial wounds and abrasions, possibly from being thrown in the rough surf, and an abscess just in front of her fluke, or tail. She also had severe conjunctivitis of both eyes with some corneal lesions. This inflammation of the eyes could have been from either trauma or infection. It was unclear at the time why exactly the whale had stranded. However, these animals do not strand for no reason; single-cetacean strandings usually occur due to injury or severe illness.

The Pygmy Sperm Whale was moved to the CWC rescue van for evaluation
Photo by Jennifer Guess

After consultation with marine mammal experts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, as well as veterinarians from Sea World San Diego, the closest facility capable of rehabilitating a marine mammal of this size and only one within transport range, the difficult decision was made to humanely euthanize the Whale. Pygmy Sperm Whales are rarely rehabilitated successfully, at least partially because these deep-diving cetaceans do not fare well when being housed in shallow pools for extended periods of time. Additionally, for an adult whale to strand severe illness is assumed, making the prognosis for a full recovery very poor.

The whale was humanely euthanized at Zuma beach with a combination of intravenous anesthetic drugs, administered in a vein just in front of the fluke. Her remains were sent to the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles for necropsy, and to be used for future museum exhibits.