New York Times: How California's Elephant Seals Made a Remarkable Recovery
- Natural history
Hunted nearly to extinction, northern elephant seals, native to the waters off the West Coast, now number more than 175,000.
Published in The New York Times: March 16, 2023
Before summiting the slippery beachside dunes, wind-whipped sand spraying my face, I could hear what was on the other side.
Raspy grunts, high-pitched mews, guttural barks and the occasional roar bellowed toward my group of hikers at Año Nuevo State Park, a remote strip of coastal bluffs about 60 miles south of San Francisco. Once we crossed over to the wide sandy beach, the source of the commotion became obvious: hundreds of elephant seals, their slick blubbery bodies splaying out on the land or flopping into the chilly waters of the Pacific.
header image: photo © Luiza Naslausky
Yes, I want to save a life!
You’ll be giving sick and injured animals the best possible care at the Center’s state-of-the-art hospital. With your gift today, you are giving a patient a second chance at life in the wild.
See Our Latest News
{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Gray whale\/gray-whale-angle-by-josie-slaathaug-c-the-marine-mammal-center.jpg","alt":"A gray whale in San Francisco Bay","title":"The Wall Street Journal: Huge, Hungry Whales Are San Francisco\u2019s Latest Traffic Headache","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/wall-street-journal-huge-hungry-whales-are-san-franciscos-latest-traffic-headache","label":"In the News","date":"2026-05-19 15:32:00"}
The Wall Street Journal: Huge, Hungry Whales Are San Francisco’s Latest Traffic Headache
May 19, 2026
Read More{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Other species\/cropped-images\/two-seals-playing-shutterstock-250-0-3211-2510-1602631793.jpg","alt":"two seals playing on a beach","title":"Meaningful Father\u2019s Day Gifts for Ocean Lovers","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/eco-friendly-fathers-day-gifts-that-give-back","label":"News Update","date":"2026-05-15 12:37:00"}
{"image":"\/Animals\/Patients\/Harbor seals\/2021\/cropped-images\/hs-meringue-photo-by-bill-hunnewell-c-the-marine-mammal-center-2-117-0-1270-992-1744225251.jpg","alt":"Animal care volunteers gently position a feeding tube into a harbor seal pup\u2019s mouth.","title":"How Seal Milk and \u201cFish Smoothies\u201d Help Pups Grow Strong","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/how-seal-milk-and-fish-smoothies-help-pups-grow-strong","label":"Patient Update","date":"2026-04-29 09:41:00"}
{"image":"\/Animals\/Patients\/California sea lions\/2026\/csl-irving-pre-rescue-in-san-francisco-photo-by-katie-young-c-the-marine-mammal-center.jpg","alt":"A California sea lion pup is stranded on a sidewalk in front of a car.","title":"Sea Lion Irving Rescued on a San Francisco Street","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/sea-lion-irving-rescued-on-a-san-francisco-street","label":"Patient Update","date":"2026-04-17 14:50:00"}
