Injured Baby Sea Lion Turns To Humans For Help After Getting Injured From An Attack

Apr 04, 2019 by apost team

Most mammal babies have some features in common, like large eyes, that make them similarly appealing. It's easy for most people to see baby mammals of almost any species as "cute" and lovable.

This sometimes winds up being a saving grace when a wild baby animal is in need of help. Such was the case in this story, when a baby sea lion in need made a beeline for Hugo Zusho's boat not far from Laguna Beach in Orange County, California.

The people on the boat promptly began filming the event. The sea lion, since named Amber, swam directly for the boat. In specific, Amber swam up to the ladder hanging off the side of the boat in the water.

apost.com

Amber makes at least two failed attempts to climb the ladder and falls back into the water. Someone on the boat splashes water on the deck and pats the deck, apparently trying to make the poor pup feel welcome.

When it becomes clear the baby seal cannot successfully navigate the ladder in its upright position, someone grabs the ladder and angles it up, making it more like a ramp. They hold it at this better angle the entire time that Amber struggles to make it onto the boat.

They brought the seal on board, even though a bite from a wild animal can cause serious injury and even bacterial infection.

Then, they headed straight for the Pacific Marine Mammal Centre in Laguna Beach with the exhausted animal. Baby sea lions are called "pups." They typically weigh around 13 to 20 pounds. Most pups are around 2.5 feet long at birth.

But they grow much larger. As adults, females can weigh 200 to 400 pounds and males can weigh between 600 and 800 pounds. Adult females can be up to 6.5 feet long. Adult males can be up to 8 feet long.

Like so many wild animals, sea lions face distress daily from habitat degradation. Plastic pollution is a primary cause of problems for sea life. If you care about sea life, you should care about where your trash winds up and take up the mantra "Reduce. Reuse. Recycle."

This is a positive example in a sea of negative examples of human interaction with wildlife. Pass this on to your animal loving friends and let's help together to make the world better.