Sea lion Mika’s guardian, Kaitlin Beyer, holds a picture of Mika and one of her pups. PHOTO: GREGOR RICHARDSONA 12-year-old Dunedin girl has become the guardian of a sea lion who chose to give birth near her house — not once, but twice. Both times Mika gave birth, Kaitlin found herself guarding Mika from people trying to interfere with her. When Kaitlin discovered Mika had given birth she immediately became fascinated by the sea lion and spent countless hours watching her. A sea lion would normally spend about two weeks in the place where they gave birth, but Mika hung around for about six weeks.

Source: Otago Daily Times February 06, 2026 16:02 UTC