Pup Madness at The Marine Mammal Center
March Madness might be over, but Pup Madness at the Center has just begun!
Every spring, as marine mammal pupping season starts, our hospital starts to fill up with young seals and sea lions that are orphaned, premature, malnourished or some combination of the three.
Experience our busiest season for animal care through the eyes of our youngest (and most adorable) patients as they prepare to return to their ocean home by learning to survive in the wild.
The results are in for the Pup Madness class of 2025!
As our young pups worked toward their fish school graduation, they've been competing for some seal-ious superlatives. The results are in, and you might say they're all winners because thanks to caring people like you, they are getting a second chance at life at our hospital.
Moonland won Most Improved by rocketing up the scale, gaining more than 15 percent of her admit weight over the last month in care at our Sausalito hospital!
The scales tipped in favor of Reyes, weighing in at an impressive 115 pounds to claim her rightful place as Plumpest Patient.
Our fish school front-runner, Saguaro, is Valedictorian. She was named after Saguaro National Park in Arizona and, true to her namesake, this pup can be a little prickly and sometimes prefers our trained volunteers offer her hand feeds instead. But this proficient pup has learned to free feed, meaning she can eat sustainable herring tossed right into the water.
And finally, racing to the top of the polls, Patience is this year’s Most Popular Pup! This resilient young seal is learning to track, catch and eat whole fish on his own after being found all alone. Patience started as the second smallest pup in this year’s Pup Madness class, but is now more than 12 pounds heavier and closer to eating on his own every day.
You can continue to keep up with these pups by following us on your favorite social media channel! Find us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok and Twitter.
Here's how you voted:
Patience |
31% |
| Saguaro | 28% |
| Moonland | 25% |
| Reyes | 16% |
Northern elephant seal pup Reyes
Rescued: March 2, 2025
Diagnosis: Malnutrition
Weight at Admit: 51.5 kg
Northern elephant seal Reyes was among the first elephant seal pups admitted to our hospital this year. Our veterinary experts immediately saw signs that she was too young to be on her own – she was still sporting her blackcoat, or baby fur, which elephant seals shed once they’ve weaned from their mother.
Luckily, Reyes is now receiving a specialized treatment plan with nutritious tube-fed meals and medicine. As she gains her strength, her care will expand to include lessons in “fish school,” where she will learn to track, catch and eat whole fish. Her care might also include a variety of enrichment items, like imitation kelp or a box at the bottom of the pool stuffed with fish, which stimulates her natural instincts and improves physical and mental health.
Once she’s proven she can catch whole fish on her own, compete for food with her pen-mates and receives a clean bill of health, Reyes will be ready for release.
Northern elephant seal pup Moonland
Rescued: March 3, 2025
Diagnosis: Malnutrition
Weight at Admit: 36.5 kg
What would you name a marine mammal patient? When a team of our trained responders rescued a skinny, lethargic elephant seal pup, they decided to combine the name of the beach (Moonstone) with that of the hotel across the street (Moonstone Landing) giving our next Pup Madness patient the name “Moonland.”
The honor of choosing a name for a new marine mammal patient usually goes to the person who calls our rescue hotline to report the animal or someone who assists with the rescue, like one of our volunteers or a member of the public. To avoid confusion, we don’t use the same name twice in a decade for each species so namers have to get creative!
Once at our Sausalito hospital Moonland responded well to initial treatment and began to gain weight. With a healthy dose of herring, medicine and fish school lessons, we expect she will have an out-of-this-world transformation and return to her ocean home.
Northern elephant seal pup Patience
Rescued: March 3, 2025
Diagnosis: Malnutrition, Trauma, Unknown
Weight at Admit: 37 kg
Patience was found all alone on a secluded stretch of beach in Estero Bluffs. The path to him was uncertain, as our dedicated responders worked together to locate and safely rescue this too-small pup with limited information on his exact location.
Once safely in care, our veterinary team noted Patience was alarmingly underweight. In fact, at just 74 pounds, he was below what he should have weighed at birth, much less the approximately 300 pounds he should be at his age. Luckily, nutritious “fish smoothies” with sustainable herring, fatty salmon oil and water will help this pup bulk up while he learns the skills needed to survive in the wild.
With best-in-class veterinary care, and all the time and fish he needs thanks to your support, Patience will hopefully make good on his namesake and return to the wild with a clean bill of health.
Northern elephant seal pup Saguaro
Rescued: March 6, 2025
Diagnosis: Malnutrition
Weight at Admit: 32.5 kg
A park goer to Hearst San Simeon State Park reported a marine mammal in distress to a park ranger. Unable to immediately check out the area herself, Ranger Robin called our experts. Sure enough, an emaciated elephant seal pup was found completely alone and clearly starving.
The pup was named Saguaro, after a national park of the same name in Arizona and as an honorary nod to Ranger Robin. Saguaro is just one of tens of thousands of marine mammal patients we’ve helped over our 50-year history, but certainly not the only one helped by criticalfederal partners like park staff and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Saguaro and her classmates also have YOU to thank for their second chance at life. It’s your generosity that provides enough fish school supplies for pups to learn to compete for, track and catch fish on their own. Thanks to your support, these resilient pups will prove they are strong and fast enough to head back to their ocean home.
