Sea Lion Pup Welcomed at Seneca Park Zoo
June 15, 2013
The Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, New York welcomed a
California Sea Lion pup on June 1 to first-time mom Marina. While the pup’s gender is not yet known, it
is the 18th baby born at the zoo this year.
Photo Credit: Kelli O'Brien
Four-year-old Marina came to the zoo in 2011 after being stranded on a beach in Los Angeles County, California. The pup’s father was Puff, who arrived from Sea World Orlando in 2007. Puff died last fall.
California Sea Lions are native to the Pacific coast of
North America, from Alaska to Mexico.
Sea Lion populations are not threatened, but they are protected from
hunting and harassment by the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Sea Lions’ intelligence and trainability have
led to their use by the United Sates
Navy to detect underwater mines.