By Heather Henderson, Marine Program Manager

On the afternoon of May 11th, patient #22-078 hauled out on Broad Beach in Malibu. Weighing 103 lbs. and measuring just over five feet long, few people might think to call the CWC Marine Mammal Rescue Team out for a wellness check. Fortunately for this four-month-old Northern Elephant Seal pup, a concerned member of the public did just that. When we arrived on the scene, the pup was resting face down near the waters’ edge. Initially he appeared to be a little underweight, but otherwise in fine shape, however something seemed off.

Upon closer examination, the team noticed facial swelling (particularly of the chin and muzzle) as well as moderate dehydration. We elected to pick up the pup and bring him to the center for care. During the intake examination, a stingray barb was discovered at the puncture site on the right lower chin. Once the two-inch-long barb was removed, the area was cleaned, and antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications were prescribed. The elephant seal was also given supportive fluid therapy. The patient’s stomach was flushed to rule out ingestion of additional foreign substances and fortunately none were discovered.

The elephant seal was improving, but there was persistent swelling on the right side of his muzzle. One of the vibrissae (whisker) follicle endings looked to be infected. The culprit – a second stingray barb! Once removed, the tissue resumed a normal appearance and the vibrissae remained intact. Elephant seals have the most sensitive vibrissae of any animal due to the high number of nerve endings. This adaptation assists with effective prey detection at depth, thus defects in the nerve endings can have an adverse effect on their ability to locate sufficient food. Occasionally we see young elephant seals that encounter stingrays while learning to forage along the sandy ocean floor.

After a week of treatment, the facial swelling began to recede, and patient #22-078 showed an interest in fish. Upon arrival, the Marine Mammal Team had been feeding him a blended liquid nutritional feed. As he recovered, we enlarged his diet to include whole herring.

Pup #22-078 had a pre-release examination on July 5th – the puncture sites were fully healed, body condition was good, and his skin and fur coat were beautiful. This patient was gaining weight daily (an average of one kg/day) and was a robust 200 lbs. (double his intake weight) when he was released back to the Pacific Ocean in mid-July.

The simple act of noticing an ailing animal and taking the time to report them to us gave this seal a chance to heal and thrive. Thank you for caring about wildlife!

By KC Scofield, Stranding Coordinator

On March 14^th, we rescued an underweight Northern Elephant Seal pup at the La Costa Beach Club in Malibu. Once admitted this pup was marked with a blue non-toxic grease marker used identify individuals while in care, so we began to call him “Blue.” These marks are helpful when telling the seals apart, making it easier to accurately track diets, weight gain, medications, and general progress.

We rescued Blue when he was around two or three months old. He was underweight at 86.6 pounds close to what his birth weight would have been. When leaving the rookery, or breeding area, and living on their own, Elephant Seal pups must teach themselves how to swim and fish. This can lead to trouble learning to recognize and swallow fish, a challenge Blue faced during his stay. His learning process was slower than usual, and he had difficulty digesting fish which explains his underweight status and consequent struggle with gaining weight during his stay. The final hurdle for him was an ulcer on his left eye. Blue had a lot to overcome, and the team quickly set to the task of providing him the best care. He received hydration and nutrition via feeding tubes while he was emaciated. Once ready for solid food, we gave him long, thin, easy to swallow fish and put him through “fish school” to help him learn how to track, dive and hunt fish for himself. We treated him with antibiotics and topical eye medications to help stabilize his eye ulcer.

At 12 weeks, his stay became the longest California Wildlife Center has ever had for a marine mammal! This duration was necessary to ensure any challenges were resolved before release. Before release each individual must pass certain milestones. These include reaching a healthy weight goal, proving they can dive, forage, and compete with others for fish, and they must be recovered from the illness or injury that caused them to strand and be free of any secondary health problems. For Blue, the team wanted certainty that his eye was stable and that he could gain and maintain weight. By the morning of his release, he weighed 201 pounds, an average weight gain of 6 pounds per week, bringing him to a healthy weight for a male Elephant Seal pup of his age!

Elephant Seals typically gather onshore twice a year, in the summer for molting and in the winter for breeding, spending most of their time foraging in the open ocean. Due to this seasonal pattern, the length of his rehabilitation, and the now bustling coastline, a beach release was not an option.

It had been two years since the Marine Mammal Team had done an offshore release. This type of release involved traveling via boat out to the Channel Islands just off the coast. At 5am on June 30th the team started our six-hour journey to Santa Rosa Island. More than two dozen volunteers met us on the dock that morning to celebrate everyone’s hard work and the achievement of releasing Blue.

With the help of Island Packers Cruises, we were able to release Blue off a boat, close to established colonies throughout the Channel Islands. By bringing him further from the mainland and closer to wild seal populations, we could provide him the best chance for success.

Through the overcast June morning and less than calm seas, Blue snoozed most of the three-hour boat ride, peeking occasionally at the ocean ahead of him. Once the boat was situated in a calm area next to the island, the kennel door was opened. With a subtle splash, Blue was back in the Big Blue. He surveyed his new environment, taking it all in, and calmly without hesitation swam away from the boat, out into the ocean. Nestled in the Channel Islands National Park and Marine Protected Area, Santa Rosa Island provides plenty of fish and quiet beaches for Blue to grow and become the best beach master he can be!

The Marine Mammal team sincerely thanks our team of volunteers and supporters for their hard work and dedication making this lifesaving work possible.

By Heather Henderson, Marine Program Manager

At CWC and other marine rehab centers every pinniped (seal or sea lion) patient is outfitted with an orange flipper tag that has a unique identification number prior to their release.  Spotting these tags on healthy animals in the wild provides rehabilitation centers valuable information about former patient survival and movement patterns.

On February 10^th 2021, our marine mammal team spotted a sub-adult female California Sea Lion hauled out with others on a rock.  We noticed a flipper tag on the right front flipper, indicating she had been at a marine mammal rehabilitation facility.  Examining a picture snapped through binoculars we were able to read the identifiers — W1134.  Exciting news: this sea lion was originally rescued and cared for at CWC!

History of this animal:   Rescued as a pup from Leo Carrillo Beach on May 14^th 2017 which means she was born around June 15^th, 2016.  Weighing only 40 pounds, she was about 55% of a healthy weight for her age and had an injured left eye.  The eye was examined by the staff and topical eye medication administered.  Additionally, a veterinary ophthalmic specialist came in to determine if special treatment should be considered.  The conclusion that the eye damage was unchanging meant that no treatment course could restore vision; however, there also was no evidence of continued infection.  She was released July 5^th 2017 at Nicholas Canyon Beach, at a healthy weight of 75 pounds.

Six months later the patient was rescued again from Pirates Cove on Feb 6^th, 2018, back down to 40 pounds.  When patients return it is referred to as a “re-strand.”  We gather information, treat any new ailments, and prepare them to be re-released.   While we hope they will not re-strand, some individuals require more help preparing for life in the wild.  After receiving a clean bill of health and weighing a robust 90 pounds, this female California Sea Lion was given another chance to succeed and released at Nicholas Canyon Beach on March 26^th 2018.

Three years later, we are overjoyed to spot her in good body condition, sporting a healthy fur coat, and integrated into the local colony.  After a rough start, rehabilitative care provided a path for this sea lion to not only survive but to thrive!

By Heather Henderson, Marine Program Manager

Springtime is Elephant Seal time along the California coastline. Few things are as predictable as the arrival of newly weaned Northern Elephant Seal pups hauling out each March on our Malibu beaches! While these young marine mammals are relatively large, they strand in a severely malnourished state, 30-50% of the healthy weight for their age (59 – 99 lbs).

Each February, anticipation of their arrival builds excite­ment for staff and volunteers. At CWC, the entire Marine Mammal Program is planned around rehabilitating Elephant Seal pups, from enclosure design to when new team members are recruited. Not even a global pandemic can stop the pups’ annual arrival, however, it certainly can have an impact.

The Covid-19 Safer at Home ordinance went into effect just as Elephant Seals started to arrive. In response, we decreased the number of people on-site each day to two, compared to ten. Operating at 20% personnel was daunting, but human safety always dictates our approach. We adjusted our rehabilitation procedures and feeding times a little bit, which doesn’t impact patient care but does make it easier for fewer people to care for them.

Thankfully, this has been possible because we have had fewer reports of distressed marine animals this year. Between homeowners and lifeguards, there are still eyes on the beach reporting stranded animals, so we feel confident we are not leaving pups to suffer and that it is actually a lighter year overall. In certain cases, empty beaches have also meant healthy animals have been afforded the luxury of resting and then moving on instead of needing rescue due to harassment by people.

During these past two months, our volunteers have been missed and we eagerly await their return! Thank you for continuing to support rehabilitation efforts at California Wildlife Center. Stay safe.