This Saturday, I paid a quick visit to our PMMC – the Pacific Marine Mammal Center – in Laguna Canyon.
While the PMMC facility isn’t as overrun as it was a couple months ago when hundreds of sick and malnourished seals and sea lions were coming ashore, you’d better believe it is still up to its whiskers in an abnormal number of the big-eyed, earnest critters.
Check out their WebCam here: http://pacificmmc.org/webcam.php
Check out the long list of Current Pinniped Patients here: http://pacificmmc.org/patients.php
In honor of World Environment Day, consider loading up old blankets, or stopping at the store for a few jugs of unflavored Pedialyte (because, it seems, seals don’t seem to like the cherry flavor) and dropping your donations at the PMMC (it’s just past the Dog Park at 20612 Laguna Canyon Road). Of course, the seals and sea lions are always happy to receive cash donations, too, for all the many medicines and special food diets they require while recovering. I always like to take my cash there and stuff it in one of the donation box slots so that I can say “howdy” to our recovering friends. But, it’s just as easy to donate to the PMMC online, too.
Remember, if you do find a seal or sea lion on our beaches, please keep your distance by at least 100 feet, keep others away, and see if the seal or sea lion looks very thin or wounded (some come on the beach to have their pups, which is a perfectly happy and healthy thing to do). If the pinniped in question seems to be ailing, dial (949) 494-3050 for the PMMC ambulance.