Old Ray & Tannenbaum Go Home for the Holidays

Four California sea lions (Old Ray, Tannenbaum, Menorah & Lazar) rescued and treated by The Marine Mammal Center this year, were returned to the ocean at Rodeo Beach, Marin Headlands, CA on Dec. 13, 2011. Old Ray suffered from leptospirosis (kidney disease) and had evidence of gunshot wounds. Lazar was also treated for leptospirosis while Tannenbaum and Menorah were treated for domoic acid toxicity caused by eating fish that had ingested algae that produce a neurotoxin that can result in epileptic seizures and brain disease.

The Marine Mammal Center is open daily between 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Learn more at MarineMammalCenter.org, on Facebook and Twitter @TMMC

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• animals

[MarineMammalCenter]

Thanks for your question! We rescue them because it is a humane response for animals that languish on a beach for days left to slowly die. By providing the medical care these animals need to get healthy again (and about 50% of our patients do become healthy and releaseable back to the wild) we give them a second chance at life, and we get an opportunity to study marine mammal health issues applying that knowledge to endangered species. Also many, like Old Ray, have human-caused injuries.

[Hereismytwocents2011]

Thank you for your compassion! It's sad to know humans harm these wonderful creatures. It's great to know you guys are there to help them when they need it.

[kvblakely]

It should also be pointed out that IF their environment is at it's capacity (debatable) it is most certainly due to man's carless and selfish destruction of our oceans. It is not the fault of the sea lion. The answer is not to reduce the number of sea lions but rather to reduce OUR destruction of THEIR ocean. When will humanity wake up and realize that as the "most intelligent" of all animals it is our RESPONSIBILITY to care for all the others... not pillage and destroy simply because we can.

[rodngun762]

Why does the marine mammal center rehabilitate animals like sea lions that are sick from natural causes? California sea lions are estimated to be at their environment's carrying capacity, and human efforts to reduce natural mortality may not be beneficial to the marine environment.