It sometimes ends up being a saving grace when a baby wild animal needs help. Such was the case in this story, when a needy baby sea lion made its way to Hugo Zusho’s boat not far from Laguna Beach in Orange County, California.
The people on the boat quickly started filming the event. The sea lion, since named Ambre, swam directly towards the boat. Specifically, Amber swam up the ladder hanging off the side of the boat into the water.
Amber makes at least two unsuccessful 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 that the baby seal cannot successfully navigate the ladder in an upright position, someone grabs the ladder and tilts it up, making it more like a ramp. They keep it at this best angle the whole time Amber struggles to get on the boat.
They brought the seal on board, although a bite from a wild animal can cause serious injury and even bacterial infection.
Then they headed straight to the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna Beach with the exhausted animal. Baby sea lions are called “puppies”. They usually weigh between 13 and 20 pounds. Most puppies are around 2.5 feet long at birth.
But they get much bigger. 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 daily distress due to habitat degradation. Plastic pollution is the main cause of problems for marine life. If you care about marine life, you need to care about where your waste ends up and embrace the mantra “Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.”
