News Detail

Welcome Nalu!

Oceans of Fun is excited to announce the arrival of our newest family member, Nalu! Nalu, now a 5-month old male California Sea Lion, was found alone and stranded on the pacific coast in Santa Barbara, California on September 7, 2013 at approximately 3 months of age. He was taken to the Santa Barbara Marine Mammal Stranding center where he received immediate care and several health assessments. Upon arrival, Nalu was determined to be dehydrated and malnourished. The cause of his stranding was determined to most likely be due to separation from his mother.

Due to his age, Nalu was quickly deemed non-releasable by the National Marine Fisheries since he was still of nursing age and would need his mother’s milk to survive; sea lion pups do not begin eating fish until they are between 6 and 12 months of age. As he is still of nursing age, Nalu requires 24 hour care and bottle feedings every 4 hours.

Nalu, meaning “ocean wave”, is one of an estimated 1,000 sea lion pups who were stranded on beaches this year alone. This high number of strandings resulted in the National Marine Fisheries declaring an Unusual Mortality Event (UME) as this alarming number is well above those typically seen in the past. Overwhelmed by the number of pup strandings, stranding centers have done their best to rehabilitate and release the pups back to the wild; however, when an animal like Nalu is found and cannot be released, a placement for them is found. This is where Oceans of Fun comes in! Oceans of Fun was contacted by the National Marine Fisheries Department and accepted their request to provide a permanent home to the orphaned sea lion pup.

Nalu arrived via FedEx plane on November 7th. Oceans of Fun staff members traveled a week before his arrival to meet and get to know our new family member. Spending quality time with Nalu early on helps to establish a trusting relationship between Nalu and his trainers. It is this trusting relationship that builds the foundation for our positive reinforcement training techniques.

Staff accompanied Nalu the whole trip making sure that he was safe and comfortable. Throughout his whole journey from California to Wisconsin, Nalu found comfort in his favorite friend, his stuffed leopard. This stuffed leopard has become Nalu’s security blanket, providing something soft, warm and cuddly to curl up next to in the absence of a mother while his crate has become his safe place. These familiar objects will help Nalu to transition to his new home while he continues to develop trust with his trainers.

Upon his arrival on Thursday night, Nalu quickly took to eating his first bottle in his new home. This is a big milestone, as it shows that he felt safe enough to eat! Currently, Nalu is being housed in a quarantined area until he receives final veterinary approval to join the rest of his new flippered friends. He will not be viewable to the public until the spring, but we will be sure to post updates on our website and Facebook page as Nalu becomes acclimated to his new home.

Life in the wild is not always easy as there are many struggles that animals face; overfishing the ocean, predation, pollution and habitat encroachment are challenges faced due to human involvement. Oceans of Fun is thrilled to be able to help rescue a sea lion pup that would otherwise not survived in the wild. Here, Nalu will become an ambassador for his species by helping to educate our guests about marine mammals, their environment and conservation needs.