Steller Sea Lion released from Wolf Hollow

Wolf Hollow successfully released a yearling Steller sea lion on Wednesday, June 21.

Sedna, named after the Inuit goddess of the sea, had been at Wolf Hollow since January 22, when she was transferred for care by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. She was found in Grays Harbor a quarter mile away from the beach and 30 feet from a road. At 95 pounds, she was about 60 pounds underweight, very weak and dehydrated. At only 6 months old, she was separated from her mother likely due to the high winds and rain. Normally, Steller pups spend at least a year with their mother.

When Sedna arrived at Wolf Hollow, she had so little body mass she needed two heat lamps and a heating pad in an insulated outside enclosure to stay warm.

Gradually Sedna gained weight on her daily diet of herring. By June, she was close to 300 pounds! Dyanna Lambourne brought a sea lion transport cage that fits in the back of a pickup truck, and veterinarian Joe Gaydos of the SeaDoc Society anesthesized her so Dyanna could attach a small satellite transmitter to the top of her head. While she was still unconscious, she was carried by six people into the transport cage.

The truck was backed down a boat ramp and the door to the transport cage opened. After eight hours of transport, the release took less than five seconds. She paused briefly on the tailgate before diving into the water and swimming away.

Steller Sea Lions are a threatened species in this region and endangered in western Alaska.

This was the first successful rehabilitation and release of a Steller sea lion in Washington State. It's also the first time Wolf Hollow has been able to monitor the success of a released animal through satellite telemetry. The satellite tag allows Wolf Hollow and researchers to track her movements through a GPS unit, and also a time-depth recorder. Results so far show that she has moved from the release site to a rookery area with over a thousand non-breeding Steller Sea Lions in residence. She is spending some time hauled out on shore or rocky areas, but is also going further off shore on foraging trips and diving to depths of up to 100 meters.

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