On April 15, SeaWorld gave a second chance at life to three marine mammals. The park’s Rescue Team returned two rescued and rehabilitated California sea lion pups to Boomer’s Beach in La Jolla. Both of the sea lions were rescued because they were extremely dehydrated, malnourished and unable to survive on their own. At SeaWorld’s Animal Health and Rescue Center, they received expert care and doubled their weight. One of the sea lions also had a cataract, which was surgically removed by one of SeaWorld’s partner veterinarians. No 6-foot distancing here. Sea lions are very social animals, as you can see in the video as they greet each other by touching their noses together.  
The Rescue Team also returned a harbor seal. Rescued as an orphaned neonate, this animal was in SeaWorld’s care for eight weeks. The park’s animal care experts became surrogate moms, providing a specialized marine-mammal milk formula, rich with 13 percent milk fat. Once weaned, harbor seals become independent very quickly and are able to survive on their own. Unlike sea lions, they are great at social distancing, as you can see here at South Casa Beach in La Jolla.
Typically SeaWorld returns rehabilitated animals by boat, several miles off the shore. Because the beaches are closed to the public due to COVID-19, this return took place directly on the beach. So far this year, SeaWorld has rescued 50 marine mammals and 129 birds.