KNIGHTSEN - A wayward sea lion stranded herself for the 3rd time this year Saturday, this time winding her way up the Delta and waddling more than a knot on dry land before resting on a Knightsen school campus, a rescue spokesman said.
Two Marine Mammal Center volunteers herded Na'au and captured her on the Knightsen Elementary School campus about the gym Saturday afternoon.
The California sea lion has suffered from toxic algae poisoning in the past, causing her to require rescue in May and July in Santa Cruz County, said Jim Oswald, center spokesman.
"She might be suffering from a chronic case," he said of the domoic acid poisoning. The sea lion seemed disoriented, but otherwise healthy, Oswald said.
Na'au was first spotted at Delta and Hotchkiss roads around noon. Passers-by, along with a Contra Costa animal control officer, ushered the marine mammal onto the school campus a few blocks away, beside a cyclone fence. The nearest waterway is an irrigation canal more than a mile away.
"I didn't think we're near enough to water for one to pass up to our school," said principal Ray Witte, who saw the rescue after a maintenance worker called him. "They went in with a net and caught it. Someone came in with a dog travel tote and shoved her in. She didn't seem like she was hurt."
It is not unusual for sea lions to hazard up the Delta in hunt of food, Oswald said. However they rarely travel so far on land, which is likely attributed to the algae
Volunteers first rescued Na'au in Santa Cruz County in May after she had only given birth to a pup. The child died, but veterinarians saved Na'au, who was suffering seizures, Oswald said. After regaining her health at the center's Sausalito recovery facility, she was released back into the wilderness on the Point Reyes National Seashore.
Rescuers were again called out in mid-July in Santa Cruz County when Na'au, who is tagged, was found on a beach, near people and dogs. She was again nursed back to health and released about a week later on the Point Reyes National Seashore, Oswald said.
The sea lion's long-term prognosis is unknown, he said. A sea lion can be poisoned if it eats fish - it's main diet - that have consumed toxic algae. The illness slowly disintegrates the marine mammals' brains and affects their navigational skills.
Na'au may want to be euthanized, Oswald said, if the poisoning has caused too much brain damage.
Strandings are on the surface the preceding few years, Oswald said. Last year, the center rescued 1,706 marine mammals, the largest haul in history. This year, the substance has rescued 970 marine mammals, the 2nd highest number and well above its annual mean of 500 to 600. Toxic algae poisoning and trash entanglements lead to many rescues, he said, but malnourishment has been trending upward which could be traced to warming oceans.
The heart is holding its annual holiday open house next Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There's a chance Na'au will be recuperating there, Oswald said. For more information visit www.marinemammalcenter.org.
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