Featured Image Credit: The Marine Mammal Center
By Sarah Sharkey
Volunteers at the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, California is struggling to take care of a new batch of rescues. Over the last few weeks, dozens of seal pups have come into the center in need of care. Most of these pups were separated from their mothers in the rough seas associated with some late winter storms in the North Bay.
Once the pup is separated from its mother, its survival chances are very slim. Unless helpful volunteers rescue it and care for it as it grows.
Currently, there are around 70 seal pups at the center. These pups eat a combined total of around 500 pounds of fish every single day. It is up to the volunteers to feed and care for all of these animals. Most of these pups are sick, injured or orphaned.
The pupping season is not yet over, so it is likely that more and more pups will be brought to the center for care. According to Dr. Cara Field, a staff veterinarian at the Marine Mammal Center, “This time of year in the spring, it’s pupping season up-and-down the California coast. And so we see a lot of harbor seal pups, elephant seal pups that are being born. And because they’re so young and vulnerable and their mom is easily frightened, we ask that people keep a very safe distance.”
If you see a seal pup on the beach that looks like it needs help, then call 415-289-SEAL. Don’t try to rescue it without expert assistance.
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