Northern elephant seal pup Juanita was so young at her time of rescue that she still had her black coat of fur. Elephant seal pups shed this dark fur once they’ve weaned from their mother, so our trained responders knew she was too young to be on her own.

Without nutrition from her mother’s milk or any survival skills, Juanita had little to no chance of survival in the wild.

Once at the Center, Juanita was very shy. She did not want to eat or swim when the pool was crowded with other young patients.

After many months of coaxing by our dedicated animal care volunteers, Juanita gained confidence and learned how to eat whole fish and compete with other animals. She was released back to her ocean home with the skill set she needed to survive in the wild.

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