Mochi

Mochi is a male harbor seal pup that was rescued from Palos Verdes Estates. Estimated to be about a week old at the time of rescue, Mochi would have still been nursing with his mother. Without her, he wouldn’t be able to survive on his own.

Harbor seal mothers leave their pups on the beach to rest while they forage for fish nearby but can be scared away if humans or dogs get too close. That’s why it’s important to share the shore with resting marine mammals and call the Marine Mammal Care Center’s hotline at 1800-39-WHALE if an animal appears to be in distress. Our trained responders will be able to assess whether a seal pup like Mochi needs help or is simply resting.

Once Mochi arrived at our hospital, our veterinary team examined him and determined that he was emaciated and dehydrated but otherwise healthy. He was given a mixture of formula and water along with some additional fluids.

Within a few days, Mochi was starting to learn how to eat fish – an important skill he would have gleaned from his mother and by watching other harbor seals. After being in care for about two weeks, he was able to eat fish on his own and had developed quite the appetite.

After more than doubling in size and proving that he had the skills to catch live fish on his own, Mochi was released back to the wild with a second chance at life.