SAN PEDRO -- A young sea lion that jumped onto a race boat during the Campbell Cup Regatta last month in Long Beach fell into the right hands, as the crew aboard Alchemy cruised the pinniped to safety.

Photo by: Peter Wallerstein

The male sea lion, rescued by Marina Animal Rescue, has been under the watchful eyes of caretakers at the Marine Mammal Care Center at Fort MacArthur. The sea lion’s prognosis is guarded, as he has been experiencing seizures.

“They appeared to have resolved, so, for a while, it appeared that the animal was doing better -- and then this last week, he started experiencing seizures again. So, that has put him back into a guarded prognosis for release ability,” explained Dr. Lauren Palmer, a veterinarian with the Marine Mammal Care Center at Fort MacArthur. “I would like to see him go for a period of time without seizures before releasing him.”

The sea lion has the crew aboard Alchemy and the Marine Animal Rescue center to thank for his rehabilitation. The young sea lion’s near-death story began last month during the Campbell Cup. The regatta, hosted by Long Beach Yacht Club, was about to begin when the crew on Per Peterson’s Andrews 70, Alchemy, alerted the race committee boat that a sea lion had found its way on board.

The sea lion was reported by helmsman Will Stout to have jumped on the transom and crawled into the cockpit. He also appeared to be choking from a gill net that was wrapped around his neck.

Under the direction of Long Beach Harbor Patrol, Alchemy crew transported the sea lion to harbor patrol’s docks, where Peter Wallerstein, a Marine Animal Rescue specialist was awaiting the patient. The sea lion was then transported to the Marine Mammal Care Center at Fort McArthur, where he has been cared for ever since.