Sea Lion Pup Wanders San Francisco Streets
- A juvenile sea lion was found wandering through San Francisco streets away from its usual waterfront habitat. - Rescuers from marine mammal groups are evaluating the pup and planning care if it's separated from its colony. - Officials say temporary displacement isn't uncommon during pupping season, urging public to call authorities rather than approach (patch.com).
A California sea lion pup wandered onto a San Francisco sidewalk before dawn on April 16, ending up blocks from the surf. (marinemammalcenter.org) The pup was found near 48th Avenue and Irving Street in the Outer Sunset, just inland from Ocean Beach, and responders from The Marine Mammal Center, San Francisco police and park rangers moved in to rescue him. (nbcbayarea.com) Rescuers corralled the young male into a carrier crate, held him at a ranger station near Kezar Stadium, and transferred him later that morning to the center’s Sausalito hospital. The center named him Irving after the street where he was found. (marinemammalcenter.org) Veterinarians said Irving is about 10 months old and severely malnourished. He weighed 40 pounds on intake, about half the weight the center expects for a pup his age. (marinemammalcenter.org) California sea lions usually stay close to their mothers for months before they can forage well on their own. NOAA says females and pups remain near breeding colonies until pups are weaned, and the center said Irving was still too young to be by himself. (fisheries.noaa.gov, marinemammalcenter.org) Giancarlo Rulli, a spokesperson for the center, told KQED the pup likely came ashore at Ocean Beach, climbed a stairwell, crossed the Great Highway and wound up on the neighborhood corner. Rulli said younger sea lions that are struggling to feed themselves can end up in places that look far outside their habitat. (kqed.org) NOAA says California sea lions live along the West Coast and haul out on beaches, docks, buoys and jetties, but animals in distress are also vulnerable to disease, fishing-gear entanglement and harmful algal bloom toxins. Irving’s bloodwork is being used to check for any underlying illness beyond malnutrition. (fisheries.noaa.gov, marinemammalcenter.org) The public guidance is simple: keep back and call trained responders. The Marine Mammal Center says people should stay at least 50 yards away from marine mammals and report distressed animals to its hotline at 415-289-7325. (marinemammalcenter.org, kqed.org) Irving is now being tube-fed and monitored in Sausalito, and Rulli told KQED that malnourished pups often stay at the center for six to 10 weeks. For now, the sea lion that turned up on Irving Street is back where wildlife doctors can watch every meal and test result. (kqed.org)
