Northern Fur Seal Ody Chosen as the 2024 Calendar Cover Star
Thanks to caring people like you, countless marine mammals receive a second chance at life every year. While these animals are in our care, we try to take a photo of each one so you can see exactly who you are helping.
As you can imagine, there are so many adorable photos to choose from for our 2024 calendar cover. So many that we needed your help to pick the winning patient from this list of three animals that have stolen our hearts.
Voting is now closed and the winner is northern fur seal Ody!
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Thank you for giving marine mammal patients a second chance at life—none of this would be possible without you!
Pinger - California Sea Lion
Rescued: May 17, 2023
Released: May 20, 2023
California sea lion Pinger was entangled in ocean trash for years. You see, he was first spotted in San Francisco in 2021 with something wrapped around his neck, and the wounds appeared to be getting more severe each time he was sighted.
Intervention was critical to save his life, which is why we launched a special rescue operation where our trained responders set out on a boat with specialized equipment the Center developed for high-risk rescues like this. From the boat, our experts safely launched a dart that sedates and tracks the animal should it escape into the water. A series of acoustic “pings” from the dart allow responders to keep track of the sea lion until it can be safely netted from the water (you can see how Pinger got his name!).
Our innovative rescue technique was a success, and Pinger was transported to our hospital for care. Veterinary experts freed him from the entanglement, and in a matter of days he was released back to the wild.
Batata - Pacific Harbor Seal
Rescued: March 22, 2023
Released: June 6, 2023
Harbor seal pup Batata was found on the beach much too skinny. What’s even more heartbreaking was that her mother was nowhere in sight. Without her mother to provide her with nourishing milk and teach her critical life skills, Batata likely wouldn’t have survived without help. But thanks to kind-hearted beachgoers who called our hotline, our trained responders were able to safely rescue this seal and bring her to our hospital.
As Batata received the critical care she needed, she began to regain her strength and a healthy amount of weight. In fact, she gained nearly 30 pounds while in care, more than doubling her body weight. Soon enough, Batata was showing our experts that she had the skills needed to survive in the wild. After several weeks, Batata received a clean bill of health and returned to her ocean home. Less than two weeks after her release, Batata was spotted in the wild looking healthy as she rested among dozens of other harbor seals.
Ody - Northern Fur Seal
Rescued: October 3, 2022
Released: December 15, 2022
When northern fur seal Ody was found stranded on the beach, it was clear that something was very wrong. You see, this species spends almost all of its time in the open ocean, only coming ashore to breed or if they are sick. Not only that, but Ody was also too young to be separated from his mother. Once our trained responders determined that Ody needed help, he was rescued and transported to our hospital. Upon admit, our animal care experts could see that this young seal was starving, weak and suffering from small wounds.
Luckily for Ody, he received life-saving care that included plenty of fluids, antibiotics and nutritious fish meals. Despite being a slow eater at times, Ody still managed to nearly double his weight in care. After more than two months at our hospital, this once-too-skinny pup transformed into a healthy seal. Ody was released with a second chance at life in the wild alongside another northern fur seal and a California sea lion.
Yes, I want to save a life!
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.
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