Seal pups released into wild by Southern California wildlife rehabilitators

Two Pacific harbor seal pups were released back into the wild Tuesday by wildlife rehabilitators in Santa Barbara County.

The Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute released the two pups after separate rehab stints that began in May.

Both of the seals were severely malnourished, dehydrated and lethargic and required “urgent medical intervention,” CIMWI said.

The two pups, the 128th and 142nd patients of this year, were taken out to see with the help of Celebration Cruises Santa Barbara.

Video of the release shows the two pups in their kennels being released into the water from the back of the boat near a well known seal rookery in Carpinteria.

While one of the seals was eager to return, the other was slightly more hesitant, turning back to boat briefly for some extra instruction before finally diving deep and disappearing to resume its life in the wild.

“As we celebrate our nation’s Independence Day, these seal pups will be gaining their own independence, a symbolic and heartwarming milestone,” officials for the wildlife rehabilitation center said.

In Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, the main areas where CIMWI responds, harbor seal pups are usually born between February and April. They typically weigh between 13 and 20 pounds and nurse for four to six weeks.

“Having been weaned from their mothers, these two pups struggled to forage for fish on their own,” officials said. “CIMWI stepped in to provide the necessary medical and rehabilitation care.”

Pup 128 was rescued on May 20 at Hollywood Beach in Oxnard, weighing only 19 pounds at the time of her rescue. Pup 142 was rescued at Hendry’s Beach in Santa Barbara on May 31, weighing only 23 pounds.

Both female pups were released back into the wild after they gained 24 pounds each, more than doubling their weight from when they were brought to CIMWI.

Harbor seals are among the most common marine mammals found along both coasts of the continental U.S.

Major rookeries, or breeding colonies, can be found in Southern California at Point Mugu in Oxnard and in Carpinteria, where these pups were released.

The Carpinteria Seal Rookery can be observed from the Carpinteria Bluffs Nature Preserve, officials said.

As many as half of harbor seal pups do not survive their first year of life, CIMWI says. Threats to the animals include entanglements, pesticides, climate change and habitat degradation.

Humans are also major factors that can affect a pups ability to survive. Adolescents that are disturbed during pupping season face the possibility of being abandoned by their mothers before they are weaned, dramatically reducing their likelihood of survival.

“It’s essential to give them space, share the shore with these protected animals, and observe them from a distance,” the organization said. The seals, like all marine mammals, are federally protected.

If you come across a sick or malnourished marine animal, you should contact your local animal rescue organization for help.

For more information on the Channel Islands Marine & Wildlife Institute, click here .

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