Sea Lion Pup Wanders SF Streets

A California sea lion pup turned up on a San Francisco sidewalk before dawn, far from open water, and rescuers took him to a Sausalito hospital. (marinemammalcenter.org) The pup was found during the early morning hours of April 16 near 48th Avenue and Irving Street in the Outer Sunset, about a block from Ocean Beach. San Francisco police, Recreation and Parks rangers, and a trained responder from The Marine Mammal Center helped corral him into a carrier crate. (marinemammalcenter.org) The center named the young male “Irving” and moved him first to a ranger station near Kezar Stadium, then to its veterinary hospital in Sausalito later that morning. The center said April 17 that veterinarians were still evaluating him for underlying illness. (abc7news.com) By April 20, the center said Irving was about 10 months old, severely malnourished, and weighed 40 pounds — roughly half the expected weight for his age. Blood samples were taken for diagnostic testing. (marinemammalcenter.org) California sea lion pups usually stay with their mothers for the first year, and center staff said Irving was too young to be on his own. KQED reported he was being tube-fed while the center monitored whether malnutrition was the only problem. (marinemammalcenter.org) (kqed.org) Giancarlo Rulli, a spokesperson for The Marine Mammal Center, said staff think the pup likely came ashore at Ocean Beach, climbed a stairway, crossed Great Highway and wound up inland. He said the center was “not 100% certain” why Irving made that route. (kqed.org) Rulli said young sea lions that are newly foraging often struggle to find food, and malnourished pups can end up in places that look out of habitat. He said Irving was “active and quite feisty,” which the center treats as a positive early sign. (kqed.org) Sea lions are common in San Francisco, especially around Pier 39, where they began hauling out in large numbers after the October 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and became a permanent fixture by January 1990. A pup on a residential corner in the Outer Sunset is not typical. (pier39.com) (abc7news.com) If people see a stranded sea lion onshore, federal guidance says to keep at least 50 yards away and call trained responders rather than push the animal back toward the water. The Marine Mammal Center’s rescue hotline is 415-289-7325. (fisheries.noaa.gov) (marinemammalcenter.org) Irving’s next step is rehabilitation, not release. KQED reported that malnourished pups typically stay at the center for six to 10 weeks, and staff had not yet set a release plan as of April 17. (kqed.org)