The pair, two 26-pound females, made their debut during the first of the zoo’s three-night members-only events at the end of June. But, this is not just the story of eight-hundred pound Dallas the sea lion getting a couple of lady friends; this is the story of rescue and conservation.
Since the latter part of 2015, the Buffalo Zoo had been working Pokeywith the Pacific Marine Mammal Center in Laguna, CA in order to acquire the pair. Both were rescued along the California coast in March and June of 2015. At the time of their rescue, they were believed to be one year old and showed signs of malnourishment, weighing less than fifty pounds at discovery. The condition of the sea lions at the time revealed that the two would have little to no survival chance if re-released. “As a conservation organization, we are pleased that we could offer these two adorable and energetic sea lions the care they required,” said Dr. Donna Fernandes, Zoo President & CEO.
In recent years, conservationists have observed a great deal of unusual mortality events (UME’s) surrounding the California sea lion. As in this case, many sea lion pups and yearlings are being found stranded. One contributing factor includes the lack of sea lion prey in close proximity to their on-shore colonies where much of the survival training occurs. This has required mothers to venture further out in the ocean, orphaning the pups in the process. Fernandes adds “they have gained weight since their arrival, get along well with our male sea lion after a careful introductory process, and during the course of their introductions to the habitat, have already offered us the opportunity to educate the public about some of the environmental conditions impacting the species.”
Now approximately two years old, Buffalo Zoo keeper staff has named the sea lions Jesse and Pokey. Unlike seventeen-year-old Dallas, the newest residents of the Zoo are untrained, but show promise. The three sea lions have been introduced and are fully cohabitating in the Sea Lion Cove exhibit, presented by NOCO. The Zoo is open to the public at 10 a.m. daily.
