SeaWorld to Release Rescued Sea Lions on World Oceans Day

SAN DIEGO, CA:  Four sea lions rescued by SeaWorld this year from San Diego County beaches are returning to their ocean home Wednesday, just in time for World Oceans Day.

Found malnourished and dehydrated, the sea lions which spent the past few months in rehabilitation at SeaWorld San Diego’s Animal Rescue Center will be released south of Imperial Beach at Border Field State Park Beach.

SeaWorld is continuing to see a higher-than-normal number of strandings on local beaches, which is attributed to El Niño and an ongoing "Unusual Mortality Event" with California sea lions, according to Kat Marin, a spokeswoman for SeaWorld San Diego.

So far this year, SeaWorld San Diego has rescued more than 400 marine mammals, compared to 150 to 200 rescues made in a normal year.

"Because the younger animals are finding it difficult to find food, they become emaciated," Marin said. "Their hydration comes from the fish they eat, so when they are malnourished, they also become dehydrated."

SeaWorld’s animal care specialists and veterinarians are treating the animals with hydration, nutrition and, when necessary, antibiotics. The average length of time for rehabilitative care is six to eight weeks. 

Once they are of good weight, free from any secondary infections and able to competitively forage for food, the animals are returned to the ocean in areas where there is a known source of prey, giving them a second chance at life.

If a member of the public sees an animal that appears to be ill, injured or abandoned, they should alert local authorities or call SeaWorld’s Rescue Hotline at 800-541-SEAL, or report the animal on the park’s website.

The goal of SeaWorld’s Rescue Program has always been to rehabilitate rescued animals and return them to the wild, according to Marin.

(Photo by Mike Aguilera/SeaWorld San Diego)