13 Rescued Sea Lions and a Fur Seal Just Got Their Second Chance Back in the Pacific

Meet the latest success story from SeaWorld San Diego’s rescue team: 13 marine mammals, back where they belong, swimming free in the Pacific Ocean.

The group included nine California sea lions and a Guadalupe fur seal, all of whom arrived at SeaWorld sick, injured, or malnourished before receiving weeks of hands-on veterinary care. Every one of them is now healthy enough to fend for themselves in the wild again — which is always the goal.

This rescue effort started back in mid-July, and it wasn’t a one-team job. Rescue organizations across the country, and one all the way in Spain, pitched in to help make it happen. That kind of coordination is fairly typical for SeaWorld’s rescue program, which has responded to more than 40,000 animals in need since it began in 1965.

There’s been a noticeable uptick in rescues along the Southern California coast lately, and much of it traces back to domoic acid — a toxin produced by certain algae blooms that builds up in fish and, when eaten by sea lions and dolphins, can cause disorientation, seizures, and abnormal behavior. It’s a real challenge for rescue teams, but also exactly the kind of case where fast intervention and good veterinary care can turn things around, the way it did for this group of 13.

And the good news didn’t stop at the release. SeaWorld San Diego also welcomed two new babies in June: a bottlenose dolphin calf and a California sea lion pup, both born at the park.

Rescue staff say these animals also work as a kind of early-warning system for the ocean itself — signs of what’s happening beneath the surface, from warming waters to shifting food supplies. If you spot a marine mammal that looks sick, injured, or in distress on a Southern California beach, SeaWorld’s rescue hotline is available 24/7 at 1-800-541-SEAL.

Thirteen animals, one summer of care, and a whole ocean waiting for them to come home.

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Sources: Yahoo News,  SeaWorld San Diego,