What do you make out of this sea lion pup's behaviour?

Omg @Mama_Cakes That is one of the cutest and coolest things I’ve ever seen!!
Thank you for sharing that!

I don’t know anything about the natural behaviours of seals but perhaps its mother had been killed or abandoned it? They are social animals I think so perhaps it was lost and wanted company?

I’m going to send this to @syz. Perhaps she’ll be able to provide more information.

What did they do with the seal then? Do you know? Did they put it back in the ocean or what?

Here’s an excerpt from commentary about the video:

“Wildlife experts are concerned about the health of sea lion pups in California this year.

Sarah Wilkin, the marine mammal stranding coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told Global Post that five times the usual number of the baby animals are coming into the Southern Californian coastline weak and near death.

‘Nobody was quite prepared for the scope of this,’ said Wilkin. ‘The major common factor for all these stranded pups is that they’re coming in emaciated, dehydrated, basically starving.

‘They have been unable to find enough food to sustain themselves.’”

As cute as that sea lion is, there is no way in hell I’d let it on my boat. If someone did something(even unintentionally) in any way to make it feel threatened guess what was going right into that guys leg…. om nommy nom . Wild animals are best left in the wild.

@Bellatrix the video seems to imply that he went back in the ocean after an hour and a half.

Oh thank you @uberbatman. If it was starving as @Brian1946‘s post suggests might be a possibility. That seems sad. Not that I’m sure what they could do other than calling an appropriate wildlife agency.

Are your fish stocks so depleted @Brian1946?

Is that a laceration on the back of his or her neck? I’m guessing mom got killed in the attack and it needed some contact with someone. Or it could have got disorientated and needed a rest. It did look a little tired.

I wonder if the pup has been hand-reared and released back into the ocean.

It shouldn’t be on its own. It has lost contact with its family who may be looking for it.