We went out on Monday morning and again, it was high tide. We checked the tides chart and 6 pm was low tide. Vicky, Jim, Maren and I headed out to Pacific Grove about 4:30 pm. The animal was still there, shifting around, peering over the edge, but obviously unable to get down. It was exhibiting some abnormal behavioral symptoms. It would surely die up there from dehydration or the sea gulls.
We took two big nets, our boards, a 700 size crate and poles to carry the crate back and headed down. There was a little bit of sandy beach, but mostly wet, slimy rocks. Kelp and mussels covered the rocks and boulders. The tall rock "island" was about 50 yards from the parking lot. The front, visible to the parking lot, was rough and craggy with sharp boulders. I walked around to the ocean side of the outcropping, underwater except at low tide, which was soggy wet with pools of water. On that side, there were mostly slabs of rock at the top and middle, with rough boulders at the bottom. It looked to me like it offered the least hazardous descent to the sea lion. However, if frightened and panicked, it could jump off anywhere in the 360-degree radius from the pointed top of the rock.
The four of us spent quite a bit of time discussing options. The sea lion wasn't going anywhere, and we had about an hour before the tide started rising. We all agreed that if we left it there and called it "inaccessible" on the report, it would surely die. We knew there was a risk of it jumping off onto the rocks and injuring itself as we tried to net it. But, we have observed hundreds of sea lions, and this one looked too unable to move quickly or to jump. There is really no way to predict the behavior of a wild animal.
We devised a strategy. I suggested we send one volunteer up the front side of the rocks with a board to intimidate the sea lion to not go down the front way. Maren said she would climb up. Jim stood on the side of the rock away from the water and held the tall net up against that side, so the sea lion might think that way was blocked. Vicky took the other net, and I took a board, and we went around to the back side. We wanted the sea lion to slide down the flat boulders. Vicky would net it, and I would keep it from escaping into the water if she missed her first try. We were stumbling around on the slick rocks and trying to find a solid position for our feet.
When we were all in position, we gave Maren the word and she started climbing up. The sea lion saw her, but didn't move. She moved slowly and cautiously up closer. The sea lion was looking around for a way down, but still didn't move. This creeping up took a long time, but soon, she was right up on the top with him, board in front of her. The sea lion was totally non-aggressive, and also wouldn't move.
It became clear that this animal was not going to come down on its own. Time to change the strategy. We moved Jim over where we were, and both he and Vicky went to the bottom of the rock, right under the sea lion. Vicky would net it, over it's head, and Jim had his net ready to catch it as it slid down. I was right there, with board ready. OK... Go!
Vicky threw that net perfectly, up so high, and the net went right over it. The sea lion started sliding down, and there was Jim, who bagged it so perfectly that it never even fell hard on the ground. On the beach, it began to struggle and I got my board placed so it didn't head into the rocks, where it could have escaped in the crevices between the rocks.
It was a tough struggle to get it into the crate. The only wide spot to drag the crate opening was behind the animal. It basically was like a 150-pound limp, stuffed animal. We pushed and pulled, and slipped on the rocks and grunted and sweated, trying to get it in the crate. There was no place we could get any leverage. Finally, Jim was able to lift the animal's butt into the crate, and get it's flippers tucked in so they would not be injured. Finally, we got it in and got the door closed and secured.
Ran the poles thru the four rope hangers and... uuugh... it was sooo heavy! We slipped and stumbled and inched our way through the water and slime, hanging onto the poles, one of us on each corner. We could only carry it about three or four feet at a time. We finally got it around the rock and onto the beach. Two or three on-lookers came down and helped us carry it to the truck. I can't tell you how grateful we are when people help us carry the animals! Capturing wild animals requires so much focus and energy, not to mention strength, that we are pretty drained. A few helping hands on the carry are a godsend.
I believe one of the helpers named it Sunset Lilly, so you can go to The Marine Mammal Center's Current Patients page in a couple of days to find her status...
What a fantastic crew I work with on Mondays! Thanks Vicky, Jim and Maren. Super, first-class teamwork!
View from the parking lot
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