he 2026 northern elephant seal pup stranding season has wrapped up. Due to their life history, we expect to see northern elephant seal pups, or weanlings, in need of rehabilitative care during the spring and early summer months in Malibu. This year, the population experienced its first cases of avian influenza. Northern Elephant Seals continue to recover from the near extinction they faced in the early 1900s.
Each season, the marine mammal department recruits additional team members and holds refresher training sessions to prepare for the busy stranding season. Following a rigid life history, large numbers of recently weaned Northern Elephant Seal pups in distress strand on the Malibu beaches during March, April, and May.
In February of 2025, the Marine Mammal Department looked very different than it does today. We were just returning to our hospital after evacuating during the Palisades Fire and had no patients in care.
2025 will go down in the record books as a year of many challenges. Yet, with challenges come growth and shining moments of success! Things started off slower than in 2024, but that quickly changed. By the second week of January, devastating wildfires forced us to evacuate. Response operations shifted to a remote staging location.
Each year, during the months of March-May, our Marine Mammal Rescue team at CWC receives a high volume of calls regarding stranded Northern Elephant Seal pups on the beaches in Malibu. Each pup that comes in for rehabilitation receives a second chance at life, which was the case for patient #25-097.
The California Wildlife Center’s marine mammal rehabilitation program turned 13 this year. During the 2013 “Unusual Mortality Event” affecting California Sea Lion pups (less than 1 year of age) we transitioned from a rescue and transport program to one that includes on-site rehabilitation of young Northern Elephant Seals and California Sea Lions. Each winter, spring, and early summer, the majority of rescued marine mammals in Malibu are early weaned or severely malnourished seals and sea lions.
One of the special patients rescued this past season was case #24-046, nicknamed “Orange,” for the color of the nontoxic grease marker applied as identification. This young male elephant seal pup was rescued from Westward Beach on March 24, 2024, due to severe dehydration, emaciation, and an injury to the right eye.
Like many nonprofits, CWC’s greatest hope is for our services to be a last resort. We care deeply for our patients and treasure our experiences with them, but they arrive in our care due to accidents and illnesses.
Every pinniped (seal and sea lion) is released from CWC outfitted with an orange flipper tag. These tags are not satellite trackers, and thus require direct observation and reporting to be effective.
The CWC Marine Mammal team has seen the impact of plastic pollution in our oceans firsthand. It is not uncommon to receive a call about fishing line entanglement.
P.O. Box 2022
Malibu, CA 90265
Hotline Phone: +1 310 458-WILD (9453)
E-mail: admin@cawildlife.org
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