A sea lion pup that was found in bad shape wandering the streets of Coronado on Thanksgiving is eating fish for the first time in days, SeaWorld Resue's rehabilitation team said Tuesday.
The baby sea lion, affectionately named Gobble as an homage to the holiday, gained online notoriety from a Facebook video posted by the Coronado Police Department. In the video, officers who had captured Gobble near SR-75 at Leyte Road, attempted to release her back into the sea, but she had other plans and quickly crawled back into the small crate used to transport her.
Coronado police knew then it was time to call in SeaWorld Rescue. The rescue team arrived and could see she was dehydrated and emaciated, weighing about half of a typical sea lion that age, a spokesperson for SeaWorld Rescue said.
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After days of rehabilitation and liquid food, the pup was eating her first bits of squid and fish on Monday, a good sign that shows she has an appetite, the spokesperson said.
The last time a sea lion gained notoriety for wandering city streets, it was later discovered he may have been suffering from domoic acid poisoning, which happens when marine mammals ingest algae blooms that produce a neurotoxin.
SeaWorld Rescue said it is possible Gobble was wandering because she had been exposed to the domoic acid but it is more likely the first time her mom left her for an extended period of time and she went exploring.
"They’re exploring more, more independent, some are learning to eat, as Gobble is," the spokesperson said. "They can get separated and if they don’t find each other, the pups may need help."
If the public sees an animal out of place, they should call local authorities or the SeaWorld Rescue Team at 1-800-541-SEAL (7325) to report an animal in distress.
