SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Two Guadalupe fur seals are now on the road to recovery after they were both found in need of help.
SeaWorld San Diego says its rescue team rescued the first pup on January 3, when it received a report of a stranded animal at Silver Strand Beach.
There, the team says it found a young female pup, which was severely lethargic, dehydrated, and emaciated. The pup was estimated to be between 6 and 7 months old, weighing just over 13 pounds, which is less than half of the expected weight for her age.
According to the staff, the pup's health is improving, and she's now eating fish and being tube-fed three times a day.
The second rescue of 2026 happened on January 11, when SeaWorld Rescue says it was called for another abandoned Guadalupe pup in La Jolla.
SeaWorld says this second pup was also dehydrated and thin, and a similar age to the first rescue.
According to rescue staff, she is also showing signs of improvement with round-the-clock care, six feedings a day and late-night and early-morning feedings.
SeaWorld says Guadalupe fur seals are a threatened species that are protected under the Endangered Species Act.
The center says it plays a critical role in the conservation of this species as one of the few authorized facilities for their rescue, and is one of two facilities authorized to rehabilitate Guadalupe fur seals.
Both of the fur seals will be rehabilitated until they are ready to be returned to their natural ocean habitat.
In 2025, SeaWorld says it rehabilitated a total of 567 animals last year, including:
- 408 birds
- 129 California Sea Lions
- 3 Guadalupe Fur Seals
- 8 Northern Elephant Seals
- 1 Pacific Harbor Seal
- 16 Cetaceans
- 2 Sea Turtles
