Sea Lion Pup Rescued, Recovering At Sausalito Marine Mammal Center
SAUSALITO (KCBS)— It doesn't happen often, but it's happened again. Another wounded sea lion was rescued in the Central Valley and is being cared for by the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito.
10 years ago an adult sea lion with a bullet in his neck was found on a police cruiser in Los Banos after somehow swimming up the San Joaquin River. He was nicknamed Chippy and was released back into the wild after his rehabilitation.
The center's spokeswoman, Laura Sherr said this time around, the sea lion is a pup, nicknamed Hoppie. He was found in the same area on March 31.
"This is the second California Sea Lion that we've found since Chippy. It's very uncommon to respond to an animal that far from the coastline." Sherr said.
Hoppie is in a pen with several other pups being nursed back to health. Sherr said Hoppie is just under a year old and likely got mistakenly separated from his mom before wandering off.
Weighing in at only 36 pounds, he's malnourished considering he should be in the 60 to 70 pound range.
"He's feeding well. He hasn't yet gained weight, but that is totally normal and he will continue to gain weight as he continues to get accustomed to his new surroundings," she said.
Hoppie is expected to be released back into the wild once he's healthy again.