Abandoned Sea Lion Pup Recovering At Marine Mammal Center After Coast Guard Rescue

SAUSALITO (CBS SF) -- A baby sea lion is making a recovery in the Bay Area thanks to an unusual Coast Guard rescue.

Leo, a Steller sea lion pup found abandoned by its mother and nearly starved on a Seattle-area beach, was rescued by a Coast Guard crew on a training mission.

When Leo arrived at the Marine Mammal Center in Marin County, he weighed about a hundred pounds. When he has fully grown, he may weigh close to 2,500 pounds.

"He'll be in the hospital here through the winter until the spring when he's about ten months old," marine mammal veterinarian Claire Simeone told us.

Steller sea lions are smart, curious and not shy. Simeone said there is a concern that Leo might become too attached to his human handlers.

"That can have very dire consequences when he goes back into the wild," Simeone said.

For that reason, the staff feeds Leo from behind shields so he doesn't associate people with food.

Leo is only the fourth Steller sea lion pup treated at the Marine Mammal Center in the past 20 years.

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