Two California Sea Lion pups were rescued earlier this weekend.
One CSL pup, Chili, showed an orange tag indicating that he’d been previously rehabilitated and released. This is the second trip for him to a Stranding Network center, albeit hundreds of miles North of where he was initially released. This is a critical time for him for two reasons; 1) He was not successful once released from TMMC in Sausalito and was picked up at Trinidad State Beach extremely malnourished, and 2) He is extremely conditioned to being around people. He actively tracks and follows staff here. To help Chili, during his stay with us at the NMMC he’ll be kept away from the public at all times and staff are vigorously self-policing themselves against ‘habituation’.
A second CSL pup, Hank, was picked up here in Crescent City, California.
As of this update, Monday, 9 Feb 15, both CSLs have begun eating fish. They were spotted this evening resting side by side on top of their carrier/shelter in our quarantine compound.
