A Guadalupe fur seal pup rehabilitates at the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, Calif. (Dana Angus/Marine Mammal Center)When the young Guadalupe fur seal made the unusual choice to come ashore along a protected stretch of beach in northern California, there was probably one thing on the female pup’s mind. Guadalupe fur seals are threatened and scientists estimate at least 34,000 exist in the wild. There are seven Guadalupe fur seals at the center, and many are in a “very similar condition” to the pup that died, Whitmer said. “The Guadalupe fur seal, overall, can be a sentinel for the health of our oceans,” she said. Though she has seen her fair share of malnourished seals, Whitmer said she hasn’t come across another case of one being killed by a dog.

Source: Washington Post May 01, 2019 10:32 UTC