Rescued Sea Lion Pups Released To Ocean In Redondo Beach After Being Nursed Back To Health

REDONDO BEACH, CA — Three rehabilitated sea lion pups that had been found injured and malnourished months earlier were returned to the sea in Redondo Beach today.

The sea lions had been rescued and rehabilitated by the San Pedro-based animal hospital Marine Mammal Care Center Los Angeles.

On Friday morning, more than 100 people gathered on the beach near the Redondo pier to watch the pups scramble into the ocean.

The event was held to ``highlight the important role California sea lions play in the state's coastal ecosystem and underscore the need to recognize and protect California's most iconic marine mammal,'' according to a statement from event organizers.

Among those on hand was Sen. Laura Richardson, D-San Pedro, who used the event to announce proposed legislation, SB 1286, that would establish the California sea lion as the official state pinniped -- a fin- or flipper-footed marine mammal.

``Pinnipeds play a very important role in terms of our ecosystem, what they eat, how they help clean the area so that we can have beautiful beaches like this,'' Richardson told CBS LA.

City News Service contributed to this report.