5 seals in 4 days

Though I haven't done a lot of rescuing this past week, I've done a bunch of animal handling. This beautiful sea lion yearling has the rather regrettable name Slide-n-Slip, though to me he will forever be Maurice. Maurice, however, was a seal rescued in 2003 and so the name was a no go. Still, Slip-n-Slide should have worked according to the no-repeats-in-10-years rule (last used January 1997), but I agreed to let them flop it around just to be safe.

In any event, little SNS came off a beach in Pismo on Saturday morning, too far south for me as I was stuck in Cayucos with an elephant seal. My ellie later died of Otostrongylus circumlitus, that evil lung worm parasite who has not yet found a way to play nice with the elephant seal population. (While the Marine Mammal Center frowns on diagnosing animals on the beach, I was pretty confident about this one. My suspicions were confirmed when I actually saw the vile worms while collecting post mortem blood samples.) Anyway, SNS proved quite a handful. Though only 16 kg, he was able to break free from one restrainer (but never from me, ha ha) and he was way too stubborn to open his mouth for his tube feedings. Finally we called in the cavalry, our most experienced member with the longest, most dexterous hands, who convinced the little fellow to open up and get fed.

I also didn't get to rescue little Dockit here (he came in on Thursday and I am technically off on Thursdays...). As his name suggests, he was picked up off a dock, right here in my neighborhood. He'd been sitting on the boat launch, minding his own business, very much not minding the people who passed by. Not exactly normal behavior. And he's bony, only 15.4 kg (robust compared to Godfrey's 11.4kg...), but obviously perky enough to be climbing the walls like crazy. No sign of the runny black death poop, either, so I'm optimistic for him. Just another scrawny yearling trying to make his way in the world.

I did have the honor of my very own rescue on Friday. My neighbor friend and I fetched this harbor seal off the beach in Cayucos. She'd checked on it two days earlier on a different, less accessible beach. She'd put it on watch as harbors are so commonly left on the beach while mom forages. Besides, he didn't have an umbi and he did have teeth - more likely a weaner than a dependent pup.

This time, though, little Boone was much dryer around the eyes, and, as you can clearly see, so skinny (only 7.8 kg). The timing couldn't have been better as we had just enough time to feed him and send him off on Dockit's transport. I love it when the seals are so thoughtful as to strand on nearby beaches at convenient times.

And finally came Walls, picked up off the Morro Bay jetty Sunday afternoon near a surf spot called Widow's Walls. I didn't throw the net, but I did help keep him in it and carry him down the rocks. He was pretty bitey, which made him difficult to maneuver across the jetty, but easy to tube feed. I wouldn't call his stranding thoughtful at all. Though it was in my neighborhood, the jetty is a generally treacherous place. And not only was I again, not technically on call, but I was also napping. I do, think, though, that he was mine to catch as we'd had a report on a similar animal on the other side of the jetty on Saturday afternoon. We got half way across the harbor (on Harbor Patrol's boat - always fun) when we were told he'd gone back in the water. At least we hadn't jumped off the boat yet.

And today I will play with no seals. Today marks the 2 year anniversary of my first day as a princess parasite. Erik and I will be celebrating by spending the day together, probably in the sun. So far the only plan that's firm is that we're going to make a killer sandwich. We thought about going to a water park (2 years ago we went to the Schlitterbahn in San Antonio, Texas...), but it's a bit early for the season and most are still open only on the weekends. It does appear our new local water park is set to open in the next week or so that's pretty exciting.

It's funny how quickly two years can pass. I still haven't done so many of the things I thought I'd do and I no longer have the excuse of a round the clock job to blame for my lack of progress. I have done all the big stuff on my list, though. I've seen my husband and my family more, I've taken more naps, and I've rescued more seals. Still, I'm working on a new list for the next couple years. It seems to include taking the LSAT, which is something I've put off now for 14 years. I'm not sure law school would be good for me (is it good for anyone?) but if I score as high as it seems I might, I think it'd be foolish not to go. No promises, though, just exploring the possibilities.