Kids & Family

Lost Sea Lion Pup Recovering Well After a Long Journey Inland

The Adventures of Hoppie: Up the river, down the road, into the almond orchard ... and finally into the caring hands of rescuers.

You're not likely to see a California sea lion far from the coast, but a wayward pup recently made his way more than 100 miles inland after a swim up the San Joaquin River.

Ranch hands spotted the tired and confused sea lion hopping down a farm road alongside their almond orchard on March 31. The sea lion pup stopped to rest at Mape's Ranch, about 8 miles west of Modesto. Billy Lyons, the ranch owner’s son, called wildlife experts for help, according to the Modesto Bee.

Eric Hopson, assistant wildlife manager for the San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge, came to the pup's rescue.

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“Once he got into the cage, he was so tired he fell asleep right away and was doing some snoring,” Hopson told the Bee. Hopson drove the sea lion — now named Hoppie, in a nod to his rescuer — to Dublin, where he was handed off to a volunteer from The Marine Mammal Center.

From Dublin, Hoppie was delivered to Sausalito. Hungry and exhausted, Hoppie was underweight and malnourished, the veterinary staff at The Center noted, weighing just 36 pounds when he should tip the scales at 60 to 70 pounds.

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"Since arriving, he has been eating well and even started eating fish out of the pool," Sarah van Schagen, The Center's communications curator, told Patch. Until recently, he was tube fed. "So that’s a great sign."

Now he's eating about 5 pounds of fish a day.

Hoppie isn't the first sea lion to swim the San Joaquin River and make a publicity splash. Ten years ago, a 315-pound adult sea lion named Chippie was found by police in the same area where Hoppie journeyed. Chippie had a bullet lodged behind his skull, but The Mammal Center patched him up, nursed him back to health and returned him to the wild.

This year, The Center has treated a record number of sea mammals, according to van Schagen. As of April 16, 190 animals are being cared for at the Sausalito hospital as well as satellite facilities in San Luis Obispo and Monterey. To date, 345 patients have been admitted, compared to 293 at this point last year.

Many of them are California sea lion pups separated prematurely from their mothers.

Thanks to the ranch hands, Lyons, Hopson and The Mammal Center, Hoppie has a chance to get healthy and return to the sea.

"He probably would have starved to death," Hopson told the Bee. "Unless he could find his way back to the river and back to saltwater, he would have eventually died a slow death."

Contributing: Patch editor Autumn Johnson

Want to know more or contribute to the cost of Hoppie's fish? Visit The Marine Mammal Center online



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