Lazarus (southern sea otter) | Ritzy (Guadalupe fur seal) | Regalo (Steller sea lion) |
Evan (California sea lion) | Riddell (northern elephant seal) | Lucky J (southern sea otter) | Wedged (California sea lion) | Artemis (Steller sea lion)

Photo Copyright Ingrid Overgard/The Marine Mammal Center, 2001.

Lazarus

Species: Southern Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris)
Rescue Date: 3/29/01
Weight: 9.6 kg (20 lbs)
Age: Juvenile
Rescue location:  Montana de Oro, Morro Bay (San Luis Obispo County)

Lazarus, a juvenile male southern sea otter, is the fifth sea otter rescued by The Center in 2001. In an average year The Center might respond to 1-2 otter strandings so the number rescued so far this year is unusually high. Upon his arrival at The Center, Lazarus was comatose. Suffering from protozoal encephalitis (a protozoal infection of the brain), our veterinarians had little hope Lazarus would survive the night. During his first week at The Center he was kept in our harbor seal hospital where volunteers could monitor his temperature and care for him around-the-clock.

  After nearly a month of intensive care, Lazarus began to show signs of improvement including swimming, diving, and grooming on his own. He showed a definite preference for clams and shrimp over the crabs, squid and oysters offered by our volunteers and began vocalizing, a good sign that he was on the road to recovery. On May 11th he was transferred to the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Sea Otter Research and Conservation Program (SORAC) to continue his rehabilitation in a larger pool with another juvenile otter. We are happy to report that on July 5th, Lazarus was released at Montana de Oro in San Luis Obispo County with another rehabilitated otter. Lazarus was radio tagged so that The Center and the Monterey Bay Aquarium would be able to track and monitor his behavior in the wild. So far all signs have shown him exhibiting normal otter behavior. Lazarus is available for adoption through our Adopt-A-Seal® program.

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Photo Copyright Ingrid Overgard/The Marine Mammal Center, 2001.

Ritzy

Species: Guadalupe fur seal (Artocephalus townsendi)
Rescue Date: 5/26/01
Weight: 10 kgs (20 pounds)
Age: Yearling 
Rescue location: Half Moon Bay (San Mateo County)

Ritzy, the 18th Guadalupe fur seal rescued by The Center and a member of a threatened species, was admitted on May 26th after stranding in front of the Ritz Carlton hotel in Half Moon Bay. Ritzy was suffering from a net entanglement but before our rescue team could arrive, a well-meaning member of the public removed the net. We discourage the public from doing this as it can often cause more harm than good. Ritzy was treated with antibiotics to help heal the infection around her neck and soon began to enthusiastically eat fish on her own. Marine mammals have an amazing ability to recover and Ritzy was no exception. On July 14th, after nearly two months in our hospital, she was released back to her ocean home. Ritzy is available for adoption through our Adopt-A-Seal® program.

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Photo Copyright Sarah Bockhorst/The Marine Mammal Center, 2001.

Regalo

Species: Steller sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus)
Rescue Date: 7/17/01
Weight: 13.5 kg (28 lbs)
Age: Pup
Rescue Location: Ano Nuevo Island (San Mateo County)

Regalo (gift in Spanish), a threatened Steller sea lion pup, was rescued from Ano Nuevo Island after it became apparent she had been abandoned. Regalo is only the eighteenth Steller sea lion rescued by The Marine Mammal Center. Underweight, dehydrated, and lethargic when she arrived at our hospital, Regalo was immediately treated with fluids to rehydrate her and was fed a fat rich formula designed to imitate her mother's milk. She was being tube-fed four times a day and spent much of her time sleeping, just like she would in the wild. Regalo was a very sick animal the entire time she was at The Center and, unfortunately, even with the best of care from our volunteers and staff, she died on September 13. Ping Huang, a volunteer at The Center, wrote a touching letter regarding Regalo.



Written Thursday, September 13
Marty [The Center's Associate Veterinarian] and the rest of vet staff,

I wanted to express my condolences.

As a volunteer, I only saw Regalo once a week, sometimes even less often.  Only occasionally was I the one who restrained her or tubed her [procedures involved in feeding an animal], and then I only had to follow the orders that I was given.  Yet I grieve, though I thought this week's events had sapped most of my capacity to grieve.  How much harder it must be, then, for you guys who worked with her daily and had to agonize over what orders to give as she waxed and waned over the weeks, with frustratingly little Steller sea lion pup experience to work from.

I have faith that from you -- from all of us -- Regalo received the best care possible from any human agency in the world.  I can't speak for other volunteers, but speaking for myself, thank you.  Those two words can never be said often enough around The Center.

Sincerely,
Ping Huang

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Evan undergoing rehabilitation at The Marine Mammal Center. The white cement like substance (external fixiter) on the side of his face is used to stabilize the pins so that the jaw can heal. (Photo Copyright Ingrid Overgard/The Marine Mammal Center, 2001.)

Evan

Species: California sea lion (Zalophus californianus)
Rescue Date: 6/27/01
Weight: 20 kg (44 lbs)
Age: Yearling
Rescue Location: Rio del Mar Beach (Santa Cruz County)

Evan was admitted to The Marine Mammal Center after being found on a beach with a broken jaw. We do not know what caused the injury but believe it was probably due to some type of blunt trauma. Due to the alignment of his jaw, Evan was unable to position and swallow whole fish for his first few days at The Center. To help him eat, volunteers cut his fish into smaller pieces that he would be able to position and swallow.

Surgery was performed on Evan just one day after his arrival at The Center. Our veterinarians attempted to wire Evan's jaw in place so it could heal but the wire proved not to be strong enough. A second surgery was performed on July 9th. At this point, pins were inserted to hold the jaw in place while it healed. On August 1st it was discovered that there was some infection around the pins and several of the pins had to be replaced. For several months after the surgery, Evan was given limited access to water to ensure that the jaw did not become infected again (when the skin around the pins remains constantly wet it increases the risk of infection.) Radiograph rechecks were performed every two weeks to ensure the jaw healed properly. During his stay at The Center, Evan gained 60 pounds. In mid October our veterinarians removed the pins permanently and shortly thereafter, Evan was released back to his ocean home. For a more detailed description of Evan's rehabilitation, refer to our case studies.

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Riddell, before the packing strap was removed. (Photos Copyright Sue Andrews/ The Marine Mammal Center, 2001.) Riddell, after the packing strap was removed.

Riddell

Species: Northern Elephant Seal (Mirounga angustirostris)
Rescue Date: 6/21/01
Weight: 79 kg (170 lbs)
Age: Weaner
Rescue Location: Gorda Beach (Monterey County)

Riddell, a young northern elephant seal, stranded on Gorda Beach in Monterey County with a packing strap entangled around his neck. Due to the animal's remote location at the base of a cliff, our rescue team was unable to transport the animal to our hospital; we simply could not carry him up the cliff. However, while on the beach our team did remove the packing strap, gave Riddell a shot of antibiotics and immediately released him back to the wild. He appeared to be in good body condition and our team felt that with the strap removed he would recover on his own. At times we do encounter difficulties in rescuing animals, usually due to an inaccessible stranding location, but we always do everything we can to help the animal.

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Lucky J, a southern sea otter, undergoing rehabilitation at The Center. (Photo Copyright Sarah Bockhorst/The Marine Mammal Center, 2002)

Lucky J

Species: Southern sea otter
(Enhydra lutris)
Rescue Date: 12/26/01
Weight: 14 kg (30.8 lbs)
Age: Subadult
Rescue Location: Pismo Beach (San Luis Obispo County)

Lucky J was rescued after stranding at Pismo Beach with a swollen back leg. During her initial exam, our veterinarians discovered an abscess on her right leg, and suspected she might be suffering from toxoplasmosis (toxoplasma is the protozoa that causes encephalitis) and possibly domoic acid poisoning. Otters require intense round-the-clock care to ensure they are eating enough (generally 25-50% of their body weight every day) and grooming properly. Sea otters rely on their thick fur for insulation, and if the fur is compromised in any way it can be fatal. During her stay at The Center, Lucky J was fed 5 kgs of shrimp and squid per day, and gained 5 kgs (10 lbs). After receiving a clean bill of health from our veterinarians, Lucky J was released at Shell Beach in San Luis Obispo County on March 21, 2002. She was radio tagged so that we could monitor her in the wild. After evading our land based trackers for several weeks, Lucky J's signal was finally heard on an over-flight on April 7 approximately 1/2 mile from the Pismo Pier and approximately 200 meters from shore. Her radio signal fit the profile of an actively foraging animal which bodes well for her continued success.

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Wedged in his pool at The Marine Mammal Center. (Photo Copyright Sarah Bockhorst/The Marine Mammal Center, 2002)

Wedged

Species: California sea lion (Zalophus californianus)
Rescue Date: 3/14/02
Weight: 173 kg (380 lbs)
Age: Adult
Rescue Location: Mitchell Cove (Santa Cruz County)

Wedged, an adult male California sea lion, was rescued from Mitchell Cove in Santa Cruz County. He was underweight, trembling, and lethargic. What makes this rescue somewhat unusual is that our volunteers had to carry Wedged, who weighs 380 pounds, in a metal carrier that weighs 100 pounds, up a long flight of stairs. To complicate matters, the stairs had five 90-degree bends that our volunteers had to maneuver the cage around. With the help of a pulley system, some elbow grease and help from many members of the public, our volunteers were finally able to carry Wedged up the stairs and load the carrier into our rescue truck. Our veterinarians suspect that Wedged was suffering from domoic acid poisoning, which is caused by a biotoxin that is released by a Harmful Algal Bloom. During his two week stay at The Center he quickly regained his good health while eating nearly 20 pounds of fish a day. Wedged was released back to the ocean on March 29th.

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Artemis

Name: Artemis
Species: Steller sea lion
Rescue date: 6/17/99
Release date: 3/31/00
Rescue Location: Año Nuevo

While visiting Año Nuevo in July of 2005, UCSC researcher Pat Morris spotted an adult Steller sea lion with a pup. The flipper tag number on the adult confirmed it was Artemis, who’d been rehabilitated at The Marine Mammal Center back in 1999 when she was just a pup --  and now she has a pup of her own.

Artemis was just a few days old when rescued from Año Nuevo. She was observed and then admitted to The Center’s hospital when her mother failed to return after two days.

For ten months, volunteers and staff worked to ensure that Artemis received sufficient nutrition and gained survival skills for her release back to the wild. She learned to dive and catch fish on her own. To facilitate her socialization, Artemis was placed with Trent, a young California sea lion being treated for cataracts.  They formed an immediate bond. Artemis and Trent were successfully re-released in March of 2000.  

The Steller sea lion population has suffered an 80% decline since 1965 and is on the U.S. Threatened Species List—there are only about 500 Stellers left in waters off California.  

By rescuing Artemis and returning her to the wild, The Marine Mammal Center has contributed to the survival of a threatened species, and gained valuable information about Steller sea lion behavior.

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