San Diego’s harbor seal colony may have had a difficult summer season, according to some, but things are looking up for one fortunate female pup rescued by SeaWorld on June 30.
The natural-colored baby seal was rescued at La Jolla Cove, SeaWorld spokesman Dave Koontz said, describing the pinniped.
“The pup is doing well and eating on its own, which is always a good sign,” Koontz said. “It’s responded well to the treatment and care provided by our animal treatment team.”
The next step would be to assess when to release her back into the wild, Koontz said.
“But right now, it’s too early to tell,” he said.
San Diego is home to a natural seal rookery, located at La Jolla’s Children’s Pool. The seals that give birth at the beach are protected under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), making it a federal offense to harass or interfere with them. Such interference includes attempts to rescue ailing pups if those attempts involve interaction with the colony.
This summer, activists said the Children’s Pool has been crawling with tourists and others who ignore the MMPA, resulting in the death of one baby seal and the rescue of another. The Animal Protection Rescue League’s Marjane Aalam, of Seal Watch, said she found one seal pup washed up at South Casa beach atop a kelp bed at the end of June. Activists called SeaWorld to rescue another seal pup stranded at La Jolla Cove. Because the cove is not a rookery, SeaWorld was able to rescue the seal immediately.
For more information about water quality, go to www.beaches911.org. Children’s Pool normally is classified as risky for human contact due to “bacteria levels in monitoring that exceed state standards,” because the water does not flush out. South Casa Beach Station “is located just around corner to the south of Children’s Pool. Storm drain outlet in bluff that has a trickle flow during dry weather. Flows from this drain sometimes reach ocean waters,” but the status is usually open and seals sometimes sun themselves on rocks off the beach. Divers advise of frequent strong riptides.
For MMPA information, go to www.nmfs.noaa.gov.