I have been meaning to visit the Marine Mammal Care Center at Fort MacArthur in San Pedro California since 2011, when our Zoo’s two female California sea lions arrived here at Seneca Park Zoo.
The staff at the care center saved Marina and Lily’s lives after they were both injured by bullets, and I have wanted to thank them for a long time.
Lily and Marina have adjusted wonderfully to Zoo life with the help of dedicated staff and positive reinforcement training. I wanted the marine mammal care center to know the latest on our sea lions’ successes, since they were part of it from the beginning.
When I saw on the news that there has been hundreds of sea lion pups washing up on shore, starving and ill, and that the center needed donations and volunteers, I knew this was the time to go. So I packed my bags and went to help out. The center was so clean and well-run, I felt hope and not sadness. If animals were to be saved, it was here and I was proud to be part of this team, even for a short time.
Over $1,250 was donated by the American Association of Zoo Keepers (our wonderful zookeeper chapter) and from the sales of the book Puff the Sea lion: A Love Story.
Please donate your time and money if you can. It does make a difference.
-Blog and photos by Mary Ellen Ostrander, Zoo Keeper
