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.