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Herding boards: On an extremely foggy December morning, Lisa Harper Henderson (Morro Bay site manager), Marlin Harms, Allison Hrutky, and Bev Wainwright attempted to stop an emaciated adult male sea lion from going back into the surf in Montaña de Oro.

Strong as a lion: Even though the sea lion was obviously sick, he put up a tremendous fight, which required all four team members to work in unison.

Thinking inside the box: Lisa and Marlin contained Fuerte until the animal carrying crate was open.

From the land, with love Volunteers with the Marine Mammal Center work to help sea lions, seals, otters, and whales in their times of need

Wary: Marlin Harms held the end of the net, while Bev Wainwright and Lisa Harper Henderson attempted to guide the sea lion in. At no time does the team ever want to touch the animal, nor get too near because of the beast’s powerful bite.

STORY AND PHOTOS BY STEVE E. MILLER

All together now: Marlin pulled the net containing the sea lion into the Closing up: Allison and Bev closed an access gate as the team left crate, with the team using guide boards in the back to help the animal in. the dunes area of Montaña de Oro. The MMC is given special dispensation by the State Parks to access the beach via vehicle.

Good cause: What looks horrible really isn’t, as the team dragged the sea lion back onto a drier portion of the beach to get it into a carrying crate for transport back to the Morro Bay office. If the sea lion, eventually named Fuerte, weren’t rescued and treated for its Leptospirosis infection, it most likely would have died on the beach.

Weighty issue: Marlin, Lisa, Allison, and Bev (hidden) carried the sea lion back to the truck. The animal, despite being extremely emaciated, still weighed more than 100 kilos, so it was a bit difficult to hoist him into the back of the truck.

Two of a kind: Marlin and Fuerte sized each other up.

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he Marine Mammal Center was founded in 1975 to provide volunteers who are reliable and responsible and are older than care for stranded, sick, and entangled marine mammals 18. Henderson noted that besides the general satisfaction in along California’s coast from Guadalupe in Santa Barbara volunteering, benefits include meeting people from all walks of life County to the northernmost point of Mendocino County. More with a shared interest, and a tremendous education about marine than 800 volunteers help with approximately 75 creatures at the mammals, husbandry, science, and the environment.

Morro Bay facility. Funding for the organization comes from private Volunteers also have an opportunity to work in all aspects of the center: rescue, animal care, transport, education/outreach, donations and memberships. Since 1975, more than 16,000 animals and development. They may also work on the crew and observe have been rescued and treated. medical procedures performed by veterinarians at the Volunteers need no prior experience with marine mamSausalito main hospital. mals, because training is free of charge. The four priffer to o or pe If you’re not interested in volunteering, you can still mary classes are assessment of marine mammals m r r help by following these guidelines when encounterand field safety, beach rescue procedures and ing a stranded marine mammal at any of the animal basic care and safety, pen boarding, and beaches throughout California: basic animal husbandry.

• Don’t touch, pick up, or feed the animal.

Lisa Harper Henderson is the Morro They’re wild animals and they can bite.

Bay facility manager. She said the They’re also easily stressed by humans. Don’t organization is looking for part-time e return the animal to the water. Seals and sea lions u iss temporarily haul out on land to rest. Harbor seal mothers often leave their pups ashore while they’re feeding at sea.

• Observe the animal from a distance of at least 50 feet. Keep people and dogs away.

• Note physical characteristics such as size, presence of external earflaps, and fur color. This helps determine the species and what rescue equipment and volunteers are needed.

• Note the animal’s condition. Is it weak and underweight? Are there any open wounds?

• Does the animal have any obvious identification tags or markings?

• Determine the exact location of the animal in order to provide accurate directions.

• Call the Marine Mammal Center at 415-289-SEAL (7325). The rescue hotline is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. m Push fluids: Fuerte, the rescued sea lion, needed liquids

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Steve E. Miller is the Sun’s photographer. Send comments to semiller@newtimesslo.com.

Welcome: Fuerte was released into a clean pen at the Morro Bay facility.

before his transport north, so the team used guide boards (pictured above and below) to position him so site manager Lisa could give a subcutaneous injection.

Clean freaks: All of the equipment and working areas are kept meticulously clean by the volunteers so as not to spread infection to the various animals that come into the facility.

Footwear: Bev Wainwright changed out of her wet socks and shoes after Fuerte’s successful rescue.

Papers, please: Allison, Marlin, and Bev filled out the necessary paperwork to send to the Sausalito facility. Details included exact location, how the animal looked and sounded, and its name.

Job well done: Marlin, Allison, and Bev represented a happy rescue team.

Sticky situation: In addition to an eventual diagnosis of a Leptospirosis infection, Fuerte suffered from tar patches on his skin—not uncommon for animals in this area. Also visible is the subcutaneous needle.

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Cold: Susan Tripp, a seven-year volunteer, packed ice over a young cetacean carcass recently found in Cayucos on the beach. Cetaceans (whales, offer to dolphins, and porpoises) rarely strand alive, or pe but there’s a tank for the whales at the m r r Sausalito Facility just in case.

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MARINE MAMMAL RESCUE from page 7

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Prep work: A volunteer held a spray bottle of diluted Betadine, preparing to clean the area where a subcutaneous needle will be inserted. Marine mammals are commonly given fluids at the Morro Bay facility in preparation for transport to Sausalito.

Location, location, location: The Morro Bay Branch of the Marine Mammal Center is in the shadow of the Morro Bay Power Plant. The land was leased to the center for 20 years at an extremely nominal fee by Duke Energy.

Clean from the ground up: A footbath of diluted bleach, which prevents cross contamination among the various animal pens, reflects a volunteer.

Team carry: Regular classes at the Morro Bay facility train volunteers to properly rescue otters, sea lions, seals, and cetaceans. This recent class was taught by Shelby Stout, the stranding manager from the Sausalito facility, who is one of the few paid staff members in the organization. The volunteers here are practicing with a sling that helps carry a cetacean without harming its skin, fins, or flippers.

Not-so-slim Shady: Volunteers (left to right) Mary Lee, Frank Lee, Steve Johnson, and Sue Sawade carried an adolescent sea lion named Shady (each animal brought into the facility is named by the volunteers and no name can be used twice) to the truck for transport to the main medical facility in Sausalito.

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Getting ready: Kayla Hoffman, a volunteer and vet tech, prepared a subcutaneous injection for an animal recently brought in to the Morro Bay facility.

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Pen pals: Animal pens dot the Morro Bay Facility.

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Help a fellow mammal

A volunteer introduction meeting is Jan.

20 at 6:30 p.m. at the Morro Bay Community Center, 101 Kennedy Way. For more information, call 771-8302 or e-mail slo@tmmc.org.

Sun power: Winter is a slow season for mammal rescue, and only a few pens held patients on a recent visit—as seen in this overview of the animal complex. Solar panels provide most of the electricity for the animal pen area.

Tasty! Volunteers at the Sausalito facility make the main food source for the seals and seal lions, which consists mainly of herring “shakes.” This is the blending machine used to make the food.

Life-sized: Doreen Gurrola, marine science instructor at the Marine Mammal Center’s medical facility in Sausalito, conducted a tour for visitors, starting at a life-size sculpture of an adult male elephant seal.