Four California sea lion pups were returned to the ocean Saturday, Feb. 29, just as the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach was rescuing five more.
The now-healthy sea lions, born on the Channel Island rookeries in June, stranded on Orange County beaches in November and December, starving and dehydrated.
One sea lion, which PMMC named Yoda, was found in Dana Point Nov. 27 weighing 31.8 pounds; he was released at 82.6 pounds. Leia, who was found entangled in fish hooks in Huntington Beach was found Dec. 1 weighing 31 pounds; she was released at 82.9 pounds.
Poinsettia was found in Huntington Beach Dec. 7 weighing 29.6 pounds and was released at 73.3 pounds. And Philo was found in San Clemente Dec. 19 weighing 28.9 pounds and was released at 77 pounds.
Four Cali sea lions get to go home thanks to pacific marine mammal center #sealions #lagunabeach pic.twitter.com/U8GobwDJPx
— erika ritchie (@lagunaini) March 2, 2020
Typically, sea lions pups weigh about 16 pounds at birth.
Over the past week, PMMC rescue teams have picked up five additional starving and dehydrated sea lions at several Orange County beaches, bringing to 21 the total the center now has in house.
A sea lion which officials named Yardley was found Feb. 23 in the yard of a Newport Beach seaside home weighing 25 pounds. Ocho was found the next day under the Huntington Beach Pier with a fish hook in her stomach and a broken jaw.
Gumbo was found at the Newport Beach Pier Feb. 25, weighing 24 pounds; Ciri was found emaciated in Newport Beach Thursday Feb. 27 weighing 31.3 pounds; and on Sunday, PMMC rescued OM at only 18 pounds from Dana Point.
“March and April are our busiest months,” said Krysta Higuchi, spokeswoman for PMMC. “We expect to get busier.”
Tennyson Oyler, president of Newport Beach-based Pacific Life Foundation, was among those who opened the kennel doors Saturday for the pups’ release.
“This is my first release,” he said, adding that Pacific Life has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years to PMMC. “It’s important to see the impact of our funding.”
As the four kennel gates swung open, Oyler’s Leia was the first to poke out her nose and get on the sand. Poinsettia and Philo followed, but Yoda hung back in his crate.
The three other pups gathered around the entrance to Yoda’s crate, sniffing him and seemingly urging him to get going. After a few minutes of acclimating to their beach surroundings, the foursome flippered through the sand and then dove through the waves, reappearing together just offshore.
“As a funder, you hope your money is being used wisely,” Oyler said, watching Leia and the others head out. “To actually see it is something different.”
