It’s sea lion season

An increasing number of California sea lion pup barks echo across Laguna Canyon’s walls signifying Pacific Marine Mammal Center’s busy season is in full swing.

The center is now the temporary home of eight sea lion pups that came ashore across Orange County either sick or starving.

“Our goal is essentially to make sure these animals are safe and the general public is safe when they show up on the beach. They are wild,” said Emily Wing, the center’s director of development and marketing.

Wing explains that the influx of sea lion pups is due to the animal’s mating season.

Pups are normally born in the months of June and July, and begin the process of weaning from their mothers around December.

According to Wing, the increase of pups in peril is usually caused when they leave their mothers too soon. However, it can be caused by other issues as well, including being caught in fishing line and nets, swallowing fish hooks and pollution.

When a distressed animal beaches itself, the Pacific Marine Mammal Center comes in to help with a double-pronged approach: first to save the animal and second to educate people on what to do if they encounter one.

Once the pups are transported to the center’s facility in Laguna Canyon, they begin their rehabilitation process, which includes attention to any injuries and a steady high-fat diet of a herring and formula mixture that is injected directly into the pups’ stomachs.

“We call it a fish smoothie,” Wing said.

After the pups come out of starvation mode and gain weight, they are eventually given whole fish to eat. Pups often come in weighing 25 to 35 pounds — well short of the 60 to 70 pounds they should weigh at six months old.

While at the center, the animals are cared for by a group of staff, volunteers and veterinarians.

“We have a great group of staff and volunteers. It’s hard physical work; it’s a little bit messy, “ Michele Hunter, the Center’s director of operations and animal care said.

Wing suggests that the “squeamish need not apply.”

The entire process is set up with the goal of releasing the animals back into the wild. The pups will spend about three months rehabilitating before being released in early March.

According to Wing, 70-75% of the animals rescued make it safely in the wild after release. The few animals that can’t survive in the wild are kept in captivity, though this is rare. Since its founding in 1971, the center has rescued more than 5,000 animals.

“My most important thing is to rescue animals in Orange County,” Hunter said.

Although sea lion pups are the most common this time of year, they aren’t the center’s only visitors. The center takes in all marine mammals, most commonly sea lions, harbor seals and northern elephant seals.

Pacific Marine Mammal Center also focuses on teaching humans what to do when they encounter a distressed marine mammal on the beach.

Hunter said her staff works closely with police, lifeguard, animal control and California State Park personnel who post guidelines for dealing with beached animals. She said the center also sponsors outreach events and educational programs, including after school projects and summer camps with children.

The center’s awareness programs stress the importance of staying away from beached animals and calling the center to report the animal. People should never touch any animal, try to push it back into the water or pour water on it.

Pacific Marine Mammal Center is open to visitors from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. everyday at 20612 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach.

Pacific Marine Mammal Center can also be reached at (949) 494-3050 or online at www.pacificmmc.org.