5-5-11 Day 2 Californa Trip Day 1 Marine Mammal Center

Aloha Good People

Alarm clock rings 5:45 AM and whoosh the day began, with three woman gathering gear, lunches and layers of clothing for cool mornings and hot afternoons.  We arrive at the Marine Mammal Center @ 7:00 to meet the Thursday crew of volunteers we will be working with.  (great group of people)  Lesley and I are assigned to the elephant seals and Terri heads off to the harbor seals.

- step one: kitchen introduced to a menu of fish, some with meds some mashed some small, some frozen some not. Every animal's bucket is weighed documented and a team goes out to feed. We get to observe everything from tubes pushed into seals throats, to people dangling fish in front of the little buggers

- step two: lesson in crowding boards... simple keep the board between you and the animal or keep the seal away from your team. EASIER said than done when there are 6 hungry seals charging at you.
-step three: cleaning the pool and pens.... dirty job but someone has to do it
- step four: observed a necropsy of a very young harbor seal.... never thought I would or could do it, but I did.
-step four: back to kitchen time for another feeding and out we go to the pens lesson in properly restraining a seal so it can be tube fed.
- step five: tube feeding a baby elephant seal.... WHAT? yes indeed I was able to do it (:Lesley became a pro in a matter of 15 minutes she fed five animals...)

We finish up and go visit Terri at the harbor seal section.... Oh my lord they are some of the cutest animals I have ever seen... and have the funniest cry.... maw maw maw....

Terri preparing to feed a baby harbor seal

 These little ones just melt your heart, I don't care who you are, no denying this cuteness

 Terri restrains (so different than elephant seals)...  

 Volunteer Veronica begins the tub feeding

 They really don't mind, and it is very quick process

 Terri now inserting feeding tube

 Thats about it.... good job

 And now the tasty fish mash

Tomorrow is another day, I suspect more tubing and restraining.... LUCKY US.... what a wonderful opportunity. ~da blog lady~