Watch These Fun-Loving Seal & Sea Lion Pups Return To The Ocean

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — A Northern fur seal pup and a California sea lion pup made a break for it recently, released back into the wild by a Laguna Beach animal rescue group. Supervisor Lisa Bartlett and Ryan Hickman were the ones to open the crates for the recently rehabilitated marine mammals.

Heartbreaker, the fur seal, was first out of the gate and his buddy Cabo, the sea lion, was a little more shy, according to the PMMC spokesperson.

“Early last Saturday morning, I was honored to be at Aliso Beach to participate in the release," Bartlett said in her recent newsletter. “As Ryan and I opened their kennel doors, both pups peeked out, and then Heartbreaker took off, flippers flying all the way to the water as Cabo watched. Eventually, Cabo decided to head out, too, but chose to stay close to shore and play in the waves first.”

It was a sunny release day, with dolphins playing just offshore. The ocean never felt so good as Heartbreaker slipped into the waves, with Cabo lagging a bit behind. Volunteers hid behind gates, obscuring themselves from distracting the critters.

“It was a truly joyful experience watching these beautiful animals return to sea, and I’m grateful to the Pacific Marine Mammal Center for inviting me to participate in this very special occasion," Bartlett said.

PMMC Youtube photo