Featured Image Credit: Youtube Screenshot/ Pacific Marine Mammal Center
By Laura O’Brien
Rescue and rehabilitation groups do amazing work every single day, and it’s so heartwarming to see their hard work and dedication come to fruition. In August, the Pacific Marine Mammal Center got to see three of their own patients run free once again. Omaha, Wonder Woman, and Niblet were released together on Laguna Beach, and they couldn’t have been happier! The video shows the seal and sea lions jump out of their crates and run towards the ocean, and Niblet even turned back to give Omaha a kiss before the trio dived into the waves.
When the Pacific Marine Mammal Center found the pinnipeds, they were all in poor condition. Niblet needed extra care when she arrived, and the center helped her gain 45 pounds during her stay. Omaha gained over 48 pounds while he was rehabilitated. Wonder Woman was in the worst shape when she arrived. With low glucose levels, Wonder Woman was in critical condition and she was experiencing seizures. The center put a long time and a lot of work into ensuring that each of these animals regained their health, and now they are able to rejoin their fellow seals and sea lions in the wild. Omaha is a special patient because the center determined that he was a good candidate for satellite tagging, so now the center can learn from him as he makes his way through the ocean.
The Pacific Marine Mammal Center currently has a total of 8 seals and sea lions, as stranding season comes to an end. January will begin a new wave of strandings, and they will once again begin the process of rescuing and rehabilitating as many seals and sea lions as possible. We are grateful to the Pacific Marine Mammal Center, and centers like it, who improve and save the lives of so many marine mammals.
Learn more from our sources, https://www.aol.com/video/partner/storyful/517837123/599b2e87c214e335902b7e41/ , https://www.pacificmmc.org/patients-at-pmmc , and http://www.wbrz.com/news/watch-rescued-sea-lions-share-kiss-before-returning-to-ocean.