"SEAL" Training for Wildlife Enthusiasts!

Marine Mammal Center Volunteer Training
Rodeo Beach, February 7 2010

 

 

 

 

After more than two years of trying, in February I finally managed to attend a day-long training session to become a stranding volunteer for the Marine Mammal Center. I was so impressed by the level of commitment and enthusiasm demonstrated by the Center's volunteer training staff that I silently vowed to help them for the rest of my life, both as a volunteer and a journalist.

I was also struck by how useful the Marine Mammal Center's training materials could be for families living along the California coast. Volunteers were treated to slide after slide of each pinniped species, and the narrative input from the Center's experts further helped us to identify characteristics and behaviors unique to each species.

It occurred to me that families along any coast have a unique role to play in helping marine mammals survive and thrive. We share our beaches with these glorious creatures, and they bring us important news bites from the sea that reveal the current health of our coastal waters. It is not lost on me that the Marine Mammal Center saves these animals on a regular basis, but in turn, as we learn details from the Center's research, we are equipped with the information we need to save ourselves.

Young Harbor seal pup /
Credit Stan Keiser

When a marine mammal strands on the rocks or on the sand, it's critical to keep our distance since "hauling out" is a natural behavior for certain species. However, here on the California coast, we are blessed to have a marine mammal "swat team" always on the ready to jump in and perform a rescue if necessary. The Center frequently dispatches volunteers (like me) to go out and observe a stranded animal, to determine whether a full-blown rescue is necessary. The goal is always to minimize disruption of the animal's natural environment and conduct a rescue only if it is determined that the animal is suffering.

If it is not certain that an animal requires veterinarian care, the Marine Mammal Center will place that animal under 24-hour observation to try to learn more about its condition. But if an animal looks malnourished or stressed, all one has to do is call the Marine Mammal Center Hotline at 415.289.SEAL and the Center will dispatch one of their trucks and conduct a rescue. The Marine Mammal Center's rescue range extends along 600 miles of central and northern California coastline, from San Luis Obispo through Mendocino County.

Would that all wild animals had such wonderful care!