Sea lions, elephant seals and harbor seals, oh my!

As some of you may already know I used to volunteer at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito. I worked on the Tuesday night crew feeding and caring for sick and injured sea lions, elephant seals and harbor seals. Mister T and I took Miss L out to see the newly refurbished hospital recently. I hadn't been to the hospital in eight years so I was very excited to see the new facilities.

The Center went through a multi-million dollar renovation and the result is really astounding. The Marine Mammal Center has treated over 14,000 marine mammals since it opened in 1975. It is staffed entirely by volunteers except for a small team of paid veterinarians.

On the day that we went they had 191 sea lions and seals admitted. Most were California sea lion yearlings who were malnourished (possibly by warm "el nino" waters that are affecting their food supply).

It was inspiring to see the army of volunteers making fish shakes for tube feedings, stuffing meds in herring and monitoring the health of the seal pups. A lot of things looked pleasantly familiar, just nicer digs for the seals and better facilities for animal care and science.

The science and research performed at this Center is state-of-the-art, but what also makes it unique are the educational opportunities. It was gratifying to see the visitors coming to learn more about marine mammals and to see the tireless work of the volunteers to nurse the seals back to life in the sea. The Marin Mammal Center is not a zoo (thankfully). As a visitor you get a glimpse into a leading marine mammal hospital. The viewing stations are set back and there are signs to encourage everyone to be quiet. The goal is to release healthy seals back into the ocean and to not let them grow accustomed to human contact so they can survive in the wild.

Here is Miss L at the entrance next to a sea lion pup statue. She is very good at imitating the calls of a sea lion. I couldn't resist buying her a life-size harbor seal pup stuffed animal at the gift shop. Mister T was not as excited as Miss L and I were by the purchase!





The Marine Mammal Center offers an Adopt-a-Seal program that makes a wonderful gift for little ones. The gift includes a photo of an actual seal patient and a biography of the animal. The proceeds help provide food and medical care as well as support research efforts and educational programs.

As we left the Center I noticed a hallway of past patients. I recognized one from my time volunteering, Artemis, a stellar sea lion. She was actually tracked a year following release and was found with her own pup enjoying the Pacific Ocean!