As seal pupping season approaches, the Marine Mammal Center’s Morro Bay field office is in urgent need of new volunteers.
From December through March, female elephant seals arrive on beaches, like the San Simeon Seal Rookery, to give birth. Pups are then left alone to learn how to fend for themselves.
“Some of them don't do so well, and that's when we might step in,” said Marine Mammal Center Operations Coordinator Shayla Zink. “If they come up on a beach outside the rookery and are looking like they are not able to feed themselves–they’re malnourished- then we would go out, rescue them, bring them in and get them up back up to a healthy weight.”
The Marine Center then sends the seal pups to its main hospital in Sausalito, where volunteers teach them how to eat fish, so they can fend for themselves in the wild.
The Marine Mammal Center’s office in Morro Bay needs volunteers to fill roles in rescue and response, animal care, patient transport, and conservation education. At the center, volunteers commit to a weekly shift, though hours can vary.
Zink said volunteering at the Marine Mammal Center unites people from all walks of life over their love for animals.
“We love the animals, but the people and the community is really special, and it’s super rewarding to get to know people from all aspects of the community,” said Zink.
“We've got in our volunteer pool kind of one-third retirees, one third Cal Poly students and a third kind-of-in-between. So we really have a wide group of volunteers, and it's really great to get to know all sorts of different people.”
You must be over the age of 18 to apply to volunteer at the center. If you see a marine mammal in distress, the Marine Mammal Center recommends you call its hotline at 415-289-7335.
