Sea Lion Pup Wanders San Francisco Streets
- Rescuers found a sea lion pup wandering San Francisco streets and are evaluating its condition. - The pup was away from its usual habitat; rescuers say its health and reason for wandering are unknown. - Marine mammal rescue teams will assess and likely transport it to rehabilitation if necessary (patch.com).
A California sea lion pup named Irving was found wandering a San Francisco street before dawn on April 16 and taken to a rescue hospital. (marinemammalcenter.org) Park rangers, San Francisco police and a trained responder from The Marine Mammal Center found the pup near 48th Avenue and Irving Street in the Outer Sunset, a short distance from Ocean Beach. They corralled him into a carrier crate and moved him first to a ranger station, then to the center’s Sausalito hospital later that morning. (nbcbayarea.com, marinemammalcenter.org) The Marine Mammal Center said on April 17 that Irving is a young male pup about 10 months old. An admission exam found he weighed 40 pounds, about half the expected weight for a sea lion his age, and veterinarians drew blood to check for other illnesses. (marinemammalcenter.org, kron4.com) California sea lions usually stay with their mothers for the first year of life, and rescue staff said Irving was too young to be on his own. A Marine Mammal Center spokesperson told KQED that young sea lions that are just starting to forage often struggle to find food and can wind up in places that seem far out of habitat. (marinemammalcenter.org, kqed.org) The center said it is not certain why Irving left the beach and crossed into the neighborhood. Spokesperson Giancarlo Rulli told KQED the pup likely came ashore at Ocean Beach, climbed a stairwell, crossed the Great Highway and ended up a block or two inland. (nbcbayarea.com, kqed.org) By April 20, the center said Irving was being tube-fed fish smoothies in its Intensive Quarantine Unit to restore weight and hydration. Staff said they hoped to move him to a rehabilitation pool pen this week and begin transitioning him to whole fish. (kron4.com) Rescuers said Irving has shown some encouraging signs despite the malnutrition. The center said he was active and “quite feisty,” and KQED reported that malnourished pups typically stay at the hospital for six to 10 weeks before release if recovery goes well. (marinemammalcenter.org, kqed.org) For now, the pup that turned up on Irving Street is still in care, gaining weight one feeding at a time. His release timeline has not been set. (kqed.org, marinemammalcenter.org)
