SeaWorld’s 2019 rescue season is winding down, following a busy year, with the Rescue Team coming to the aid of nearly 900 marine animals, including birds, sea lions, seals, dolphins, whales and turtles.
Continuing a five-decade legacy of helping injured, ill and abandoned animals along San Diego’s coastline, SeaWorld San Diego’s Rescue Team came to the aid of nearly 900 animals in 2019, giving them a second chance at life! The team has rescued 171 sea lions, 20 northern elephant seals, eight harbor seals, four Guadalupe fur seals, four dolphins, one pygmy sperm whale and one sea turtle. In addition to animals rescued along the local coastline, this year SeaWorld San Diego is giving expert, round-the-clock care to an orphaned northern sea otter pup named Cinder found stranded in Alaska. The park is also providing a permanent home for three pilot whales that were rescued following a mass stranding in Florida in 2012. Without SeaWorld’s help, these animals would not have survived.
In anticipation of next year’s rescue season, SeaWorld’s Rescue Team is already making sure all rescue gear and supplies are ready to go. SeaWorld would also like to remind members of the public to keep a safe distance from animals on the beach and to call the park’s hotline if they see one that appears to be ill, injured or abandoned. The park’s hotline is monitored 24/7 and can be reached at (800) 541-SEAL.
Since 1965, SeaWorld San Diego has rescued more than 20,000 animals, with sea lions, seals and marine birds comprising the vast majority of those animals rescued. The park’s Rescue Team also routinely comes to the aid of dolphins, whales and sea turtles. Marine animals such as seals, sea lions, sea otters, dolphins, whales, sea turtles and seabirds may strand for a variety of reasons: illness, injury, exhaustion or separation from their mother. Two of the most common conditions are malnutrition and dehydration.
In addition, animals also may become entangled in nets, ropes or fishing line; accidentally ingest plastic or other foreign objects; suffer habitat loss, which occurs as a result of human development, over harvesting of natural resources; or oil spills. The SeaWorld family of parks combined has rescued more than 35,000 animals in need over the last 55 years. The goal of the program has always been to rehabilitate rescued animals and return them to the wild, giving them a second chance at life. Every visit to a SeaWorld park helps support its animal rescue program.
SeaWorld is also pleased to announce the birth of two bottlenose dolphin calves. After 12-month gestation periods, the calves were born to bottlenose dolphins named Malibu on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2019 at 3:50 p.m. and Maggie on Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019 at 1:14 a.m. at SeaWorld San Diego. Veterinarians and trainers report that the mothers and babies appear to be in good health and are swimming together and bonding.
Malibu is a 21-year-old bottlenose dolphin weighing approximately 475 pounds. This is her second calf. Her first calf, Kali, was born in 2009 and is also living at SeaWorld with her nurturing mother. Malibu has also been very supportive of other dolphin mothers and calves at the park.
Maggie is a 16-year-old bottlenose dolphin weighing approximately 425 pounds. This is her first calf.
As with any animal birth, the first few days are critical. SeaWorld veterinarians will monitor the mothers and babies around the clock, documenting respirations and nursing frequency. The calves are estimated to weigh approximately 40 pounds. The genders will be determined in the coming weeks.
