New York Times: How California's Elephant Seals Made a Remarkable Recovery
- Natural history
Hunted nearly to extinction, northern elephant seals, native to the waters off the West Coast, now number more than 175,000.
Published in The New York Times: March 16, 2023
Before summiting the slippery beachside dunes, wind-whipped sand spraying my face, I could hear what was on the other side.
Raspy grunts, high-pitched mews, guttural barks and the occasional roar bellowed toward my group of hikers at Año Nuevo State Park, a remote strip of coastal bluffs about 60 miles south of San Francisco. Once we crossed over to the wide sandy beach, the source of the commotion became obvious: hundreds of elephant seals, their slick blubbery bodies splaying out on the land or flopping into the chilly waters of the Pacific.
header image: photo © Luiza Naslausky
Yes, I want to save a life!
Yes, I want to save a life!
You’ll be giving sick and injured animals the best possible care at the Center’s state-of-the-art hospital. With your gift today, you are giving a patient a second chance at life in the wild.
See Our Latest News
{"image":"\/Animals\/Patients\/Hawaiian monk seals\/2023\/cropped-images\/hms-rh38-care-c-the-marine-mammal-center-noaa-permit -24359-61-101-1270-1000-1689204921.jpg","alt":"hawaiian monk RH38 seal in a pen","title":"Endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal RH38 Receiving Life-Saving Care at The Marine Mammal Center","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/hawaiian-monk-seal-rh38-receiving-lifesaving-care","label":"Press Release","date":"2023-07-12 04:55:00"}
Endangered Hawaiian Monk Seal RH38 Receiving Life-Saving Care at The Marine Mammal Center
July 12, 2023
Read More{"image":"\/Places\/PIER 39\/cropped-images\/pier-39-k-dock-sea-lions-sunrise-shutterstock-0-9-2628-2053-1687994835.jpg","alt":"PIER 39 K-Dock at sunrise filled with sea lions","title":"The Marine Mammal Center Partners with PIER 39 to Open Sea Lion Pop-up Exhibit Space, Provide Public Programming at K-Dock","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/sea-lion-pop-up-exhibit-space-at-k-dock","label":"Press Release","date":"2023-06-29 02:00:00"}
The Marine Mammal Center Partners with PIER 39 to Open Sea Lion Pop-up Exhibit Space, Provide Public Programming at K-Dock
June 29, 2023
Read More{"image":"\/Animals\/Patients\/Harbor seals\/2016\/cropped-images\/hs-heyerdahl-pre-rescue-photo-c-rob-cala-608-6-4908-3833-1604444850.jpg","alt":"harbor seal pup on a sandy beach","title":"San Francisco Bay Area a Hot Spot for Marine Mammal Harassment, Experts Say","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/san-francisco-bay-area-a-hot-spot-for-marine-mammal-harassment-experts-say","label":"Press Release","date":"2023-06-05 02:00:00"}
San Francisco Bay Area a Hot Spot for Marine Mammal Harassment, Experts Say
June 5, 2023
Read More{"image":"\/Animals\/Wild\/Other species\/cropped-images\/two-seals-playing-shutterstock-250-0-3211-2510-1602631793.jpg","alt":"two seals playing on a beach","title":"Top Eco Friendly Father\u2019s Day Gifts that Give Back","link_url":"https:\/\/www.marinemammalcenter.org\/news\/eco-friendly-fathers-day-gifts-that-give-back","label":"News Update","date":"2023-05-17 02:00:00"}
Adam Ratner
Northern Elephant Seal