SAUSALITO — An “active and feisty” young sea lion that lost its way is cruising toward a feeding regimen aimed to help it recover after it twice visited grounds at the Oakland International Airport on Thursday.
The male pup — named Cruizin by the staff at the Marine Mammal Center, where its being treated — underwent an exam Friday, about 27 hours after wildlife officials corralled it in a canal at the airport. Volunteer veterinary assistants will tube feed the animal ground herring three times. before transitioning to whole herring, center spokesman Giancarlo Rulli said.
“Cruizin likely separated from his mother early and wasn’t quite ready to forage on his own,” Dr. Cara Field, a staff vet at the center said in a statement. “Although a bit malnourished, he’s very active and feisty, so we’re hopeful with immediate supportive care that he makes a full recovery.”
The sea lion first arrived at the airport about 2 a.m. and was spotted by Alameda County Sheriff’s Office deputies who escorted it back to the water. Deputies spotted him again about 8 a.m.
Workers for the center brought the 40-pound sea lion to the facility and put him in the holding pen of an intensive care unit, where he will stay until moving into a standard-sized pool for rehabilitation in a day or two, Rulli said.
The exam showed that Cruizin was moderately emaciated and dehydrated. Vets also will examine blood samples that they took to see if he has any potential ailments.
The goal, the center said, is to return Cruisin to the sea.