Sea Lion Pup Wanders SF Streets

A California sea lion pup named Irving was rescued from a San Francisco street after wandering inland from Ocean Beach before dawn on April 16. (marinemammalcenter.org) Park rangers found Irving near 48th Avenue and Irving Street in the Outer Sunset around 1:30 a.m., and officers from the San Francisco Police Department joined a Marine Mammal Center responder to corral him into a carrier crate. (abc7news.com) The pup was taken first to a San Francisco Recreation and Parks ranger station near Kezar Stadium, then transferred mid-morning on April 16 to the Marine Mammal Center’s hospital in Sausalito. (marinemammalcenter.org) Veterinarians said Irving is a young male about 10 months old and severely malnourished. He weighed 40 pounds on admission, about half the weight he should be at that age. (marinemammalcenter.org) California sea lion pups usually stay with their mothers through much of their first year, and rescuers said Irving was likely only beginning to forage on his own. The center said young pups that struggle to find food can turn up in places that seem far outside normal habitat. (kqed.org) Giancarlo Rulli, a spokesperson for the Marine Mammal Center, said rescuers think Irving likely came ashore at Ocean Beach, climbed a stairwell, crossed the Great Highway and wound up a block or two into the neighborhood. He said the center is not certain why the pup took that route. (kqed.org) Blood tests were taken to check for any underlying illness, and Rulli said Irving was still being tube-fed as of April 17. The center had not set a release date, but said malnourished pups often stay in rehabilitation for six to 10 weeks. (kqed.org) The Marine Mammal Center said Irving was active and “quite feisty” during his exam, which staff treat as an encouraging early sign. For now, the pup that turned up on Irving Street is staying in Sausalito until rescuers decide he is strong enough to return to the coast. (marinemammalcenter.org)