“Young California sea lions, especially in their first year or first months, in this case, of foraging on their own … have really have quite kind of an uphill challenge to try and find food sources,” he said. “It’s not necessarily uncommon to see younger malnourished sea lion pups that haven’t taken to developing these important skills out in the open ocean to wind up in areas that would seem out of habitat.”
Irving is about 40 pounds — half of the normal weight of a pup his age, according to Rulli. On Friday, the Marine Mammal Center conducted an admission exam, and was waiting on further blood testing to determine if he has any underlying ailments.
If his temperament is any indication, though, Rulli said Irving looked pretty good.
“During [his] exams, this young sea lion was very active and quite feisty,” Rulli said. “Which, in terms of positive initial signs, is generally something that we’re looking for.”
Rulli said Irving is still early in the rehabilitation process and is still being tube-fed. No long-term plan for his release has been set yet, but usually malnourished pups remain at the Marine Mammal Center for six to ten weeks, he said.