Two Rescued Harbor Seals Released at Carpinteria Rookery

Typically, the Channel Islands Marine Wildlife Institute (CIMWI) does not name the marine life they rescue. But a pair of doe-eyed harbor seal pups quickly stole the hearts of volunteers, making them a special exception. 

When CIMWI released  “Kermit” and “Little Bunny Foo Foo” back into the wild on Tuesday, it was with teary eyes. It was a first for the organization, which rescues hundreds of marine animals every year but never before had the chance to rehabilitate and release seal pups.

These bouncy little pups were both found in May, emaciated on beaches in Santa Barbara and Oxnard. They were malnourished, dehydrated, lethargic, and requiring urgent medical attention, according to their caretakers at CIMWI. After being tipped off to each pup, CIMWI stepped in to provide medical and rehabilitation care. 

By Tuesday morning, they were ready to dive back into the ocean, regaining their freedom just in time for Independence Day. The pups were precious cargo on a private coastal excursion to the Carpinteria seal rookery, in cooperation with Celebration Cruises Santa Barbara. 

“These guys have been a very rare animal for our organization to rehabilitate,” said Jennifer Levine, CIMWI animal care manager. “Harbor seals are very what we like to call ‘spicy.’ But when they’re not feeling good, they’re not typically spicy.”

A typical harbor seal will “not let you get within 50 feet before crashing back into the water,” Levine explained.

“So the fact that our volunteers could get within three feet of them, and they didn’t react, told us there was something really, really wrong,” she continued. “But as they start to feel better, they get more attitude. With a little bit of antibiotics and some TLC, they were ready to go back to their ocean home.”

According to CIMWI, in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, harbor seal pups are typically born between February and April, weighing 13-20 pounds at birth, and nursing for four to six weeks. Having been weaned from their mothers, these two pups struggled to forage for fish on their own.

The seals were tube fed with milk formula at first, but after three days, CIMWI was “able to convert them over to a whole herring.”

“Right now, they’re eating between six and seven pounds of fish every single day,” Levine said. “And they both doubled their rescue weights.”

Once at the rookery, volunteers looked on with bittersweet expressions as Kermit and Foo plopped into the water and swam off. Soon enough, they made land and joined other seals sunbathing on the beach. 

“To see them go from being down and out to healthy and happy — nothing beats that,” said volunteer Ken Hughes. “They’re going home.”

Up to 50 percent of harbor seal pups do not survive their first year of life, according to CIMWI. If pups are disturbed during pupping season, their mothers may abandon them before they are weaned, reducing their likelihood of surviving. “It’s essential to give them space, share the shore with these protected animals, and observe them from a distance (the length of a bus is ideal),” the organization suggests.